World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Treechitecture
Civic amenities, public spaces, and even housing could one day be formed by living trees. Researchers are looking into this new idea.
The Future of the Electric Car
Shai Agassi, who's not quite the household name T. Boone Pickens is, has an even more radical plan to end the planet's oil addiction.
Buildings With Living Skins
Giant video screens and lighting displays are changing the face of buildings, but the content has not caught up to the technology. Peter Hall of Design Institute proposes that these displays could reflect the inner life of the buildings and the city.
Beyond LEED: Buildings That Give Back
A handful of thinkers and architects are pushing past LEED requirements to design buildings that generate more energy than they use.
Bridge Building Goes Beyond Transport
This article from the BBC looks at the new face of bridge development and argues that crossing rivers is no longer the main reason they're built.
Oil Supply Crunch May Hit In Five Years
Using the term 'oil supply crunch' as opposed to 'peak oil', this British report indicates that the oil crisis will hit by 2013, with prices jumping to $200/barrel. It states that the problem is not insufficient oil but obstacles to its extraction.
Riding in Peace
'Quiet' cars on trains -- where cell phones and loud headphones are banned -- are widely popular. So why aren't more transit agencies making designated quiet cars?
The Spread of Ciclovia
Temporary street closures for pedestrian use -- an idea that spawned in Bogota, Colombia -- are occurring in cities all over the world. The trend is expected to continue.
Friday Funny: More Fun With Google Maps
An obviously Photoshopped cluster of trees appears in the Netherlands. What is someone hiding, and how are they hacking Google Earth?
Friday Funny: Drunk Caught on Google Streetview
Google Streetview is slowly taking pictures of every street in the world, and capturing unexpected vignettes along the way like an Australian man passed out on his front lawn.
Why We Drive the Way We Do
Next American City reviews a new book called Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says about Us) by journalist Tom Vanderbilt, which follows in the footsteps of Freakonomics and Blink.
'Invisible Streetlights' Could Provide Energy & Aesthetic Benefits
Solar sculptures light up at night to take the place of energy-intensive streetlights.
The Mentally Disabled in Public Spaces
A psychology site reviews Mental Health and Social Space: Towards Inclusionary Geographies, a book by Hester Parr that looks at new ideas in including (or excluding) people with mental disabilities from public spaces.
Avoid Smelly Humans In Your Own Transit Compartment
Australian designer Hamit Kanuni Kuralkan has designed a transit concept lined with one-person compartments for personal space.
Ending Our Love Affair with SUV Burgers
We shouldn't be blaming biofuel production for rising food prices and environmental degradation while ignoring the immense harm of industrial meat production, writes Frances Cerra Whittelsey.
Is Globalization Slowing?
Alex Steffen of WorldChanging proposes that globalization could soon change direction as transportation costs increase.
If They Don't Like It, Why Build It?
Architect Robert Adam likens modern architecture to modern democracy, where decisions made on high supposedly represent the will of the people.
Embracing 'Tactility'
Architect Ken-Ichi Sasaki believes that planners have focused too much on the visual to the detriment of the tactile.
Moscow Tops List of World's Most Expensive Cities
Moscow tops an annual ranking of the world's most expensive cities. The survey examines housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment for corporations and government agencies determining living costs for expats.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
