World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Sunday Fun: The Unique Smells of 35 Cities Around the World

A Berlin-based olfactory expert used 6,500 scents to recreate the smells of 35 cities.

November 27, 2016 - Atlas Obscura

Polar Bear

New Research Finds Climate Change's Fingerprint Everywhere

From the smallest scale to the largest, climate change has left no stoned unturned in its initial impacts on the planet and its species. Stay tuned.

November 24, 2016 - Pacific Standard

A New Guide to Revitalizing Cities Around the World

A major study by the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, "Revitalizing Places: Improving Housing and Neighborhoods from Block to Metropolis," identifies planning strategies to improve housing and urban development practices.

November 22, 2016 - Rethinking Social Housing in Mexico Project

Sacramento

Yet More Data on the Value of Trees to the Built Environment

A new report from the Nature Conservancy provides evidence of trees as a crucial component of public-health infrastructure.

November 17, 2016 - Vox

The Future is Fiction

What will our cities look like in the year 2050?

November 17, 2016 - Doggerel

Urban Solar Power

How Cities Will Lead the Energy Future

Last month, politicians, energy executives, and energy experts met in Istanbul for the 23rd World Energy Congress. The event gives global leaders a chance to coordinate energy policy, discuss new ideas, and seek solutions to climate change

November 16, 2016 - Doggerel

Pedestrians

Walkable Cities Change Behavior, All Over the World

Study finds people walk more in denser cities with more parks no matter what their country of origin.

November 10, 2016 - Fast Co.Exist

Vietnam Bridge

Report: Emerging Markets Offer $23 Trillion in Climate Investment Opportunities

Many countries have rolled out climate policies since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015. A new report gathers data on the capital investments that will drive the construction of all that new infrastructure.

November 9, 2016 - International Finance Corporation

Good for the Planet—and the Real Estate Industry?

Climate change is the new reality, and building owners and developers that want to remain in business need to adapt. So says a recent Urban Land Institute (ULI) report that calls last year's Paris agreement "a potential game changer."

November 7, 2016 - Doggerel

Barcelona Train

Sustainable Transport Enables Tremendous Opportunities

A new United Nations Secretary-General's High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport identifies policies that can result in inclusive and equitable growth, social development, protection of the global environment and ecosystems.

November 5, 2016 - Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

[Y]our Future, According to Chris Leubkeman

As leader of Arup’s global Foresight + Research + Innovation team, Chris Luebkeman spends much of his time thinking about how to build tomorrow’s cities today. Writer Peter Moskowitz spoke with him about aging and climate change.

November 1, 2016 - Doggerel

Pope Francis

In the U.S., Climate Politics Trump the Pope's Message

The encyclical "Laudato si: On the Care of Our Common Home" might have scored public relations points among environmentalists last year, but according to a new study, it didn't score any points with Catholics or the broader U.S. population.

October 27, 2016 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Brand New Subway

Top Websites - 2016

The annual list of the best planning, design, and development websites, representing some of the top online resources for news, information, and research on the built environment.

October 27, 2016 - James Brasuell

Joan Clos

'The World's Urban Planner': UN-Habitat's Joan Clos

The phrase "everything on the street" captures UN-Habitat head Joan Clos's approach to urbanization. In the wake of Habitat III, who is the man behind the conference's "New Urban Agenda"?

October 26, 2016 - Citiscope

Typus orbis terrarum

Atlas for the End of the World

In a new brief, Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Richard Weller writes about mapping that recognizes the interdependence of people and conservation.

October 25, 2016 - Penn Institute for Urban Research

Train-sploitation

An interview with a photographer about his unflattering pictures of train riders in Tokyo's crowded subway.

October 21, 2016 - CNN

Autonomous Car Mobility Services a $120 Billion Business by 2025

"American households will no longer aspire to own two cars in every garage, but instead will have mobility apps on every phone, to hail self-driving vehicles that they will share rather than own." Jeffrey D. Sachs, Columbia University

October 21, 2016 - EBN

Replicas of Mid-Century Towns Built to Aid the Memories of Alzheimer's Patients

The Glenner Town Square development in Chula Vista, California will be one of the first "immersive facilities" in the United States, designed to trigger memories for Alzheimer's patients.

October 17, 2016 - CityLab

Global Agreement Reached to Limit 'Super Greenhouse Gas Emissions'

An historic agreement reached by 170 global leaders in Kigali, Rwanda on October 15 to limit hydrofluorocarbons could have more of an impact on reducing climate change than the carbon emission agreement reached in Paris ten days earlier.

October 17, 2016 - The New York Times

Metro Paris

Comparing Transit Systems and Populations for 13 Worldwide Cities

A new study compares regional population densities to transit systems to find out which transit systems have maximized their reach.

October 16, 2016 - CityLab

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.