Middle East
Downtown Tram Planned for Burj Dubai
Plans for a 4.6 km tramway have been announced for downtown Burj Dubai -- a $136 million transit system intended to link major developments in the rapidly rising emirate.
Dubai Floats Idea to Build Around Sea Level Problems
With rising sea levels and a penchant for ambitious new building ideas, Dubai is moving forward with plans to construct floating buildings and islands.
Amusement Park Planned for Baghdad
Investors are moving forward with plans to build an amusement park in Baghdad, arguing the Iraqi capital is in dire need of entertainment facilities. Many worry that security concerns will disrupt those plans.
Absentee Homeowners Driving Up Rents In Jerusalem
One out of five homes in central Jerusalem is owned by someone living abroad, and sit empty for most of the year. With housing prices soaring, a group of students wants to try and make use of the underused apartments.
Transplanting The Vancouver Model To The Middle East
The man largely responsible for planning modern day Vancouver has found his next challenge in the Middle Eastern capital of Abu Dhabi.
Part High-Rise, Part Wind Turbine Opens In Bahrain
In the oil rich Middle East, a new twin tower development is utilizing wind turbines installed between the buildings to generate up to 15 percent of the structure's energy needs.
New Roads, Old Danger
A ring road covering more than 1,500 miles in Afghanistan has eased shipping in the country, but traveling along the new pavement is still dangerous.
Israel Fencing off Judean Desert Habitat
Israel's 450-mile long "security fence" is causing controversy not just because of the opposition of Palestinians in the West Bank, but because it will run through sensitive habitat and affect the ability of wildlife to access food and water.
Will All Cities Be Built Like This One Day?
Five prominent ecocity experts weigh in on the Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi.
Koolhaas' Dubai Master Plan is Bold and Reserved
In his 1.5 billion square-foot master plan for a waterfront city in Dubai, architect Rem Koolhaas has proposed a dense and elaborate city, but one that doesn't try to rely too much on flashy high-end architecture.
Istanbul Version 2
A civil engineer has proposed a plan to create a "satellite" backup city of the Turkish metropolis of Instanbul -- a city precariously sited in a major earthquake area.
Israeli Housing Construction Threatens Peace Talks
Israel's announced construction of more than 1,000 housing units in disputed East Jerusalem is being met with a hostile response from Palestinian officials, who claim the land as the future capital of an independent Palestine.
Abu Dhabi's Car-Free City to Break Ground
Groundbreaking is scheduled this week for Masdar City, the car-free eco-city planned near Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi's Got the Edge on Dubai
The United Arab Emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are generating a lot of speculation and interest as they develop into two major cities, but Abu Dhabi's focus on infrastructure sets it apart -- and ahead -- of its neighboring emirate.
Abu Dhabi to Push Carbon Underground
In an effort to reduce carbon emissions from industrial plants, Abu Dhabi is planning to create a $4 billion underground carbon sequestration system -- a system that is expected to be closely watched by government and industry.
Lyon's Twin Sister City in Dubai
An investor from Dubai is looking to replicate -- in close detail -- the French city of Lyon in the Arab Emirate.
Tabula Rasa in the United Arab Emirates
Big-name architects have appropriately big plans for the rapidly developing United Arab Emirates. Creating a new cultural capital is appealing to them, but not as much as the fact that getting it done will be easier than anywhere else in the world.
Preserving Kabul
A broad cleanup and revitalization project in the oldest parts of Kabul, Afghanistan, are bringing new life to the war-ravaged city.
Qatar Looks to Light Rail for Olympic Boost
The middle eastern country of Qatar is hoping to boost its chances of securing the 2016 Olympics by building an extensive light rail system throughout its capital city of Doha.
Agreement Bans Development Along Mediterranean Coast
A coalition of 21 countries has signed an agreement that will prohibit any development within 100 yards of the Mediterranean coast -- a broad agreement that will affect more than 29,000 miles of coastline.
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
