Europe

In order for new coal power plants to meet the EPA's new rules for reduced emissions, they will have to rely on unproven carbon capture and storage (or sequester) technologies, putting the legality of the rule in doubt.

September 24, 2013 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Any visitor from America would think that Paris had found the solution to creating great public spaces and taming the automobile. But the city's new approach to urban space suggests city leaders and residents feel otherwise.

September 21, 2013 - PPS: Placemaking Blog

As the Tour Montparnasse turns 40, the much-despised office tower is getting a makeover. With a new lighting display and plans to replace its windows, the tower is trying to alter its image. But are the renovations likely to change perceptions?

September 19, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

A plan to power Germany entirely on renewable energy is Chancellor Angela Merkel's "most ambitious domestic project". But rising costs to the state, businesses and consumers are straining support for the $735 billion effort.

September 19, 2013 - The New York Times

Vienna's two-decade-old quest to better balance access to city resources for men and women - called gender mainstreaming - has resulted in more than sixty pilot projects that are reshaping the Austrian capital.

September 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Amsterdam has sent its first family to go live in a ghetto on the east side of the city, now commonly known as "scum village."

September 15, 2013 - Future Cities

Keynote at Future of Cities Forum conference argued that carbon neutrality is not enough, He urged cities to adopt regenerative urban development that mimic natural processes and actively improve the environment.

September 6, 2013 - Future Cities

Moscow's Gorky Park, once the rundown backdrop of a murder novel, has experienced a remarkable turnaround. Today, the mayor imagines its recovery as part of his legacy while Muscovites simply see it as the perfect place to play, dine, and relax.

September 4, 2013 - The New York Times

The new "Walkie-Talkie" skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street in London has been accused of using the sun to melt cars, damage bikes, and blind pedestrians.

September 4, 2013 - Future Cities

Earth Policy Institute's bike share charts allow readers to compare bike share programs in the U.S., now numbering 34 with 18,000 bikes. As impressive as it is, a comparison with bike share programs abroad put the numbers in perspective.

September 4, 2013 - Earth Policy Institute

A new report out this week has ranked the Top 10 "Internet Cities" around the globe, based on a set of five criteria: connection speed, availability of citywide WiFi, openness to innovation, support of public data, and security/data privacy.

August 27, 2013 - Future Cities

A collector has discovered the world's oldest globe to depict the New World, which may have originated from Leonardo da Vinci's shop in 1504.

August 25, 2013 - The Washington Post

The owners of a Weimar-era parking garage in Berlin that's beloved by modernist enthusiasts are seeking to have its landmark status revoked in order to tear it down. Will officials forgo an opportunity to preserve the German capital's recent past?

August 23, 2013 - The New York Times

A house designed by pioneering modernist Eileen Gray, and later covered in murals by Le Corbusier, sits in preservation limbo as experts and officials debate whose legacy demands more respect in stalled renovations.

August 21, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Famed Danish architect Jan Gehl shared his thoughts this week about people-friendly cities, and why we have no option but to build them.

August 18, 2013 - Future Cities

They sound too good to be true: houses that remain a comfortable temperature throughout the year without traditional climate control systems. Yet 30,000 such homes have been built in Europe. Why haven't passive houses caught on in the U.S.?

August 16, 2013 - The New York Times

Germany has been able to fend off the worst effects of the deep recession that's beset seemingly every European country. But it finds itself facing the same continent-wide demographic crisis afflicting its less-affluent neighbors.

August 15, 2013 - The New York Times

In a country still struggling with how to integrate its fast growing immigrant population, the vibrant public market located in Rome's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele provides a taste of its recent ethnic changes.

August 13, 2013 - The New York Times

Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome has banned private vehicles from Via dei Fori Imperiali, built by Benito Mussolini to link his palace in Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Initially open to buses and taxis, it will eventually be completely pedestrianized.

August 6, 2013 - The New York Times - Europe

Since it was begun in the late 1950's, Paris's La Defense business district 'has always worked better in architectural theory than in anthropological practice,' says Georgi Kantchev. A new plan seeks to humanize the spaces between its tall towers.

August 1, 2013 - The New York Times