World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Predictability v. Flexibility
Just about everything we screw up as individuals and organizations has to do with our determination to optimize both extremes of predictability and flexibility, writes Ben Brown
Could SimCity Become a "Swiss Army Knife for Teachers"?
Following a path blazed by Oregon Trail and other classic educational video games, SimCity is hoping to become a common classroom tool. Thousands of students are testing a tailored version of the game, and the results are promising.
This is Your Brain on Cars
Paul Salopek is embarking on a 21,000-mile, 7-year stroll around the world. After traversing 1,700 miles, his most profound insights focus on the impact of the century-old automotive revolution on our psyche - what he calls "Car Brain".
Overtime Agreement Salvages U.N. Climate Talks
A day after the U.N.'s recent international climate negotiations were supposed to conclude, delegates reached agreement on a deal that keeps alive hope for a more substantial treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocal.
Capacity to Predict Disasters Outstrips Our Desire to Avoid Them
Disaster prediction is a "growth industry", writes Nathaniel Rich, and one that has made incredible strides over the past several years. But will all this information lead us to make better decisions about where we choose to live?
Global Insurance Firms offer Resiliency Tools to Climate Risk Cities
"Building Climate Resilience in Cities" was developed by global insurers and non profits to offer tools and technical assistance to urban areas facing development changes in response to climate change risks.
12 Bold and Bizarre Visions for Cities
There's no shortage of bold and bizarre ideas for how to make our future cities more livable, sustainable, and efficient. Whether many of these ideas are feasible is another story.
Friday Funny: Celebrities on Invisible Bikes
Exploiting America's enduring fascination with fame and growing proclivity for cycling, a group on the social news and entertainment website Reddit has melded the two with one humorous twist - they've made the bikes invisible.
Former Leaders Backtrack on Climate Commitments
In order to stave off the worst climate change scenarios, experts have recommended that the world's countries must aggressively expand their efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Some surprising countries are headed in the opposite direction.
10 Ways Cities Are Turning Back Time
It's back to the future for global cities, now that we've realized what a mess the 20th century was.
Technology, Talent, and Tolerance: The Creative Culture
Creativity isn’t a theory about hipsters and the latte set. The key driver of a resilient economy is the same thing that binds us as humans – our shared creativity. Hazel Borys reviews Richard Florida's latest creative culture ideas.
Are Diverse Communities Discordant With Cohesive Ones?
A study utilizing simulations of more than 20 million virtual “neighborhoods” finds a negative relationship between cohesion and diversity. The findings could alter how we understand and build social capital within neighborhoods and across cities.
Why Your Solar Panels Are Likely Facing the Wrong Direction
To maximize sun exposure and electricity generation during peak times, solar panels installed in the northern hemisphere shouldn't face south, as conventional wisdom dictates, but west, finds a new study.
Six Innovative Efforts to Improve Road Safety
In honor of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, held yesterday, The Guardian highlighted innovative projects that are making the world's roads safer.
Injustice Becomes a Focus of Climate Negotiations
In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the unequal impacts of climate change have become a focus of discussions at an international climate conference in Warsaw. The most vulnerable (often poor) nations are demanding compensation from developed ones.
Record U.S. Oil Production, but How Long Will it Last?
A milestone was reached last month in oil imports: For the first time in 18 years, the U.S. produced more oil than it imported thanks to fracking and reduced consumption. But according to a new IEA report, shale oil growth will peak within a decade.
Visualizing the Earth's Vanishing Forests
A new study appearing in the journal Science details the devastating loss of 1.5 million million square kilometers of forest across the globe between 2000 and 2012 and presents a stunning visualization of the data using high-resolution maps.
Explaining Traffic Waves - the Likely Cause for Your Congested Commute
For many drivers, the only experience more aggravating than being stuck in traffic is not being able to figure out why there's a jam in the first place. An explanation of the phenomenon called "Traffic Waves" may help ease the aggravation.
Expanding Cycling Infrastructure Is a Snap With Lego-Like Bike Lanes
Somewhere between the universally-despised sharrow and the rare separated cycle track sits Copenhagenize Flow, a lego-like set of tiles that allows cities to experiment with expanded bike infrastructure at low cost and low commitment.
Solutionism in Urban Data Science
Shannon Mattern surveys the new wave of urban data science projects and argues that practitioners are trending toward an obsession with data-for-data’s-sake and an idolization of method.
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
