Europe

France's Environment Ministry has decreed that as of July, all shops and offices in the country will be required to shut off their lights at night in order to save energy and “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment.”

January 31, 2013 - The New York Times

Writing in The Atlantic Cities, Chuck Wolfe provides ten illustrated examples of enjoyable environments that reflect an evolving recognition for the qualitative aspects of the urban experience.

January 30, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Zak Stone looks at the innovative technologies that Scandinavian companies are developing to improve the safety of the most vulnerable road users.

January 28, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

A five-day long fire caused by burning goat cheese has closed a highway tunnel in northern Norway indefinitely. Not having tasted Brunost, we're not sure if this is tragic or funny, or both.

January 25, 2013 - Grist

Susan Elkin points to alarmingly low statistics on the number of children who walk to school, especially when compared with historic rates. She lays out some “blindingly obvious” and “child-centered” reasons why this trend needs to be reversed.

January 19, 2013 - The Independent

Declining populations and economic malaise in many European countries are just some of the forces contributing to what most agree seems like a lasting decline in the continent's demand for automobiles.

January 18, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Earlier this week, a rail-company cleaning lady in Stockholm was able to take a commuter train on a late night joy ride through the city. The joy, however, ended when she crashed the train into a tony apartment building.

January 17, 2013 - The Daily Mail

Employing material gathered for his forthcoming book, Chuck Wolfe argues for layered, historical illustrations of how people relate to built and sociocultural communities around them, and offers 5 principles and companion lessons for placemaking.

January 16, 2013 - myurbanist

What will convince drivers to permanently switch to mass transit? A reliable system and incentives aren't enough, say a group of Swedish researchers, the experience of public transit should also match the qualities people love about cars.

January 8, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

No, the title of this post is not an analogy. Diane Ackerman takes a looks at the very literal ways in which cities around the world are harnessing body heat to warm up residential and office buildings.

January 3, 2013 - The New York Times

Russia's growing middle class is leading a boom in American-style enclosed shopping malls, which are still rather new to the country. Some rival the size and popularity of Minnesota's infamous Mall of America.

January 3, 2013 - The New York Times

Initiated during the depths of Ireland's financial crisis, carbon taxes have been effective in improving the country's environmental and economic outlook.

December 30, 2012 - The New York Times

Ah, the holiday season, when landscapes across the world are coated with a dusting of snow and those without it dream of a white Christmas. While one might expect such a scene in Kiev, you probably wouldn't expect it inside the city's subway.

December 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

You know what they say about not being able to turn away from an accident? Well what about 13 minutes of accidents? We can't help but laugh at some of the insane (and frightening) driving on display in this compilation of Russian accident videos.

December 14, 2012 - NPR

Henry Grabar celebrates the recent decision by UEFA, European soccer's governing body, to hold their 2020 tournament in cities across the continent, rather than in one or two countries as has been the tradition.

December 13, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Anthony Paletta reviews the recent glut of art volumes devoted to communist architecture in the former Eastern bloc, and includes stunning photos of "sublime sci-fi" Soviet architecture largely unseen in the West.

December 12, 2012 - The Awl

Copenhagen wasn't always the "pedaler’s paradise" that it is today. Through the early twentieth century the Danish capital embraced the bike, but after WWII it experimented with American style development. How did the city get back on track?

December 10, 2012 - Grid Chicago

Amsterdam has earned a global reputation as an enlightened city with a high quality of life. Well what if the price for that quality of life was that your bothersome neighbors were forcibly relocated to "scum villages" on the outskirts of town?

December 5, 2012 - The Washington Post

Over the weekend, a 100-mile long traffic jam caused by snow, questionable decisions, and underinvestment on Soviet-era infrastructure, left 10,000 vehicles stranded on the M10 highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

December 4, 2012 - The New York Times

Planetizen blogger Brent Toderian returns from a recent trip to Barcelona with six ideas every city should steal from the Catalonian capital.

December 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities