Middle East
Jerusalem Mayor Wants BRT Finish for Light Rail System
The mayor of Jerusalem is seeking to cancel plans for expanding the city's light rail system in favor of buses, which he is calling a less expensive and more flexible alternative.
Dubai's Seawater Vertical Farm
Possibly coming soon to freshwater-poor Dubai is a self-sustaining vertical farm that uses seawater for irrigation, cooling, and humidifying.
A Carbon-Neutral City?
A region known more for carbon emissions strives to create a carbon-neutral city powered by renewable energy and designed to reduce overall energy demand.
A Building Boom with a Human Cost
This piece from Next American City looks at the human toll major building projects are taking on construction workers in China, Dubai and other rapidly developing places.
The Green City in the Desert
This piece from Construction Week looks at the environmentally-conscious Xeritown proposed in Dubai and the methods it will take to conserve and create energy.
In Ancient City, Conservationists Can't Help Sprawl's Effects
Ninevah, one of the world's most endangered heritage sites, is deteriorating due to recent development and urban sprawl, say officials.
The Masdar Model For New Cities
Masdar City, the elaborate and ambitious planned green development in Abu Dhabi, is slowing coming into shape. This piece from Technology Review looks at how the city's development could inform the future of citybuilding.
Seeing the Value of Street Furniture
Street furniture is a critical part of the urban makeup in cities. New developments in the Middle East are beginning to recognize its importance.
Israeli Bicyclists Decry Auto-Oriented Planning
Bicycle activists in Tel Aviv call for better infrastructure for bicyclists, skaters and pedestrians. "The central question is: Who is the city for - for the car or for the people?" says one.
Friday Funny: Rats Prefer Manhattan
Rats choose Manhattan because if its logical street grid, according to new research by a team of zoologists and geographers at Tel Aviv University, who are using rats to test wayfinding in cities.
Baghdad Combats Street Beggars
Officials in Baghdad are instituting a new program to sweep beggars off the city's streets -- a number that has risen sharply since the U.S. invasion in 2003.
Amid Downturn, Dubai Metro Moves Ahead
While the economic downturn is slowing many construction projects in Dubai, the city's 47-station light rail system is moving forward on schedule.
The 'Undiplomatic' New U.S. Embassy in Iraq
The new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad embodies all of the negative connotations of the American presence in Iraq and provides an example of how not to build an embassy, according to Jonathan Glancey.
Planning Palestine
Suisman Urban Design was hired to design a theoretical Palestinian State, in the hopes that the plan might encourage the peace process. The plan was released in 2005, and has been gaining traction and admiration ever since.
Environmental Concerns Surround Dubai Excess
The eccentric megaprojects keep coming in Dubai, leaving some to question the environmental wisdom of so much development in a notoriously water-poor desert.
Patches of Grass Attract Unexpected Users
In Abu Dhabi, medians and 'leftover spaces' are attracting unanticipated users playing soccer, exercising or just hanging out. Planners are grappling with why people use these spaces and the public parks they've designed are less successful.
Islamic Holy City Mecca May Get Starchitect Redesign
Big-name architects -- including Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid -- have reportedly been tapped to be part of a team of designers tasked with redesigning the Islamic holy city of Mecca and its mosque.
Riding the Baghdad Express
For about a month, commuter rail has been rolling in Baghdad. Where once there was danger, now there are commuters.
Cultural Preservation the Bright Side of Dubai's Tough Times
Native of the bustling United Arab Emirates are cheering the global economic slowdown, crediting it for curbing development in its cities that had been blamed for destroying much of their local heritage.
Three Oil Producing Nations Impacted By Oil Price Plunge
Plunging oil prices are hitting three oil-producing countries the hardest: Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. This article looks at each of them and evaluates how they will fare if oil prices do not rise, including their relationships to the U.S.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
