Europe

Tidal Wave Energy: Is it Ecologically Sustainable?

Balancing renewable energy production and ecological preservation is a difficult business for governments who have ample resources, but also pristine environments that would be negatively impacted.

May 18, 2013 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Banlieues Now Seen as Bastions of Innovation

After years of neglect, periodic riots, and unfulfilled promises from the state, Paris's low-income suburbs are finally doing for themselves what had long been promised to them - creating opportunities for economic development and social integration.

May 15, 2013 - The New York Times

Culture Influences Pedestrian Behavior at Crosswalks, Study Says

The results of a recent study of pedestrian road crossing behavior suggests that the risks we take as walkers depend largely on our cultural context.

May 10, 2013 - Atlantic Cities

New Approach Needed for Building Affordable Housing

The rising interest in urban living has meant a growing shortage of affordable housing in cities across the country. Roger Lewis proposes a new approach to help solve the crisis: building workforce housing funded by the public sector.

May 6, 2013 - The Washington Post

Urban Camouflage: Using Buildings to Disguise Infrastructure

The infrastructure necessary to keep a city's systems running can frankly get kind of ugly. See what some cities have done to help disguise unsightly infrastructure.

May 4, 2013 - WebUrbanist

Paris's Ring Road Turns 40, Is There Any Reason to Celebrate?

Paris's Boulevard Peripherique is one of the most clogged roadways in Europe, it delivers dangerous pollution to 100,000 people in its vicinity, and this year it turned 40. Lara Marlowe looks at the future for one of Paris's little loved landscapes.

May 3, 2013 - The Irish Times

Woonerf Sign

The Voyage of the Woonerf

Writing in The New York Times, Paul Hockenos describes the revival and global spread of the "woonerf", the Dutch complete street model that's bringing shared public space to cities from Montreal to Auckland.

May 2, 2013 - The New York Times

Why the New Digital Displays at Your Train Stop Are Already Out of Date

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is making it possible for transit riders to get updated schedule information simply by waving their phones at "smart tags." Are digital displays doomed?

April 25, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Greek Financial Crisis Inspires Inexpensive Urbanism

Vivian Doumpa looks at three examples of bottom-up urban interventions completed in Greece, which show that a font of citizen spirit and ingenuity can help overcome the most draconian austerity measures.

April 25, 2013 - Pop-Up City

9 Ways to Explore Europe on Foot

In case you need yet another reason to traverse the Atlantic Ocean, the Times has published several articles on the pleasures of walking through Europe.

April 24, 2013 - The New York Times

World Bank: Carbon Pricing Key to Tackling Climate Change and Poverty

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim explains why climate change is a poverty issue - and why we must tackle it today to ensure that carbon emissions do not continue rising after 2016. Establishing a world price on carbon will be difficult to achieve.

April 23, 2013 - PBS NewsHour - The Rundown

Copenhagen Zeroes In on Carbon-Neutral Goal

Justin Gerdes discusses the variety of tactics the city of Copenhagen is utilizing in its march to become the world's first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

April 18, 2013 - The Guardian

Russia Takes its Own Route to Auto Efficiency

Vehicles driven by Russia's abundant supplies of natural gas put hybrids to shame with their mileage per gallon. Gazprom is betting that it can expand the market for such vehicles beyond the country's lower-income and rural drivers.

April 12, 2013 - The New York Times

At this Drive-In Cafe, Enjoy a Coffee Without Leaving Your Bike

As part of a plan to encourage non-motorized transport in Zurich, the city is experimenting with amenities designed to attract cyclists, including a rethink of a classic symbol of American car culture - the drive-in restaurant.

April 10, 2013 - Good

New Study is First to Show that Traffic Pollution Causes Childhood Asthma

While pollution from vehicle exhausts has been known for some time to exacerbate the symptoms of asthma, a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal establishes for the first time the direct causal link between the two.

March 26, 2013 - Discovery News

Park-and-Ride: Good for Cars, Bad for Transit

A new study out of the Netherlands finds that contrary to their intended function of encouraging a mode shift to transit, and away from autos, such facilities might actually increase car use, to the detriment of alternatives.

March 21, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

A Ride Through Berlin's 'Underground Art Gallery'

The variety of designs found in the Berlin subway's 173 stations imbibes each one with its own unique identity. Cataloging this 'underground art gallery' has been the mission of photographer Kate Seabrook.

March 21, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

New Pavilion Reflects Marseille's Revitalization

A sleek new pavilion made of reflective stainless steel, designed by Foster + Partners, is helping to reshape the image of France's rough-and-tumble port city as a destination.

March 20, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Design

What Can Northern Europe Teach Us About Building Livable Communities?

In narrative and in images, Luis Rodriguez discusses the findings of a recent study tour to Germany and Scandinavia to discover the secrets to creating more livable communities.

March 19, 2013 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Explore Ireland's Green Credentials for St. Patrick's Day

Kaid Benfield suggest 5 ways to "rock the Irish green" in honor of St. Paddy's Day. If you can't experience the holiday on the Emerald Isle, you can at least partake in an appreciation of the country's environmental efforts with these suggestions.

March 17, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

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.