Nature

Islands of the World Get Their Own Smart Congress
After six years of successful Smart City Expo World Congresses in Barcelona, the island of Majorca will host one that focuses exclusively on islands. It will focus on technology and innovation, and address unique challenges islands face.

An Abundance of Male Trees Is Upping Your Allergy Misery
All that pollen in the air giving you the sneezes is probably because of all the male trees your city has been planting.

Building Trails
Designing trails means serving many masters. Those who do it professionally must balance aesthetics with practical concerns like drainage.

The Trifecta: Urbanism, Architecture, and Nature
Susan Henderson shares some thoughts about the alignment of issues contributing to well-being in cities.

Rewilding Cities: Wellness and Nature
When nature is integrated into urbanism, wellness surges. Hazel Borys looks at the benefits.

The Connection Between Green Space and Better Behaved Kids
Researchers have made a positive link between increased greenery in a child's neighborhoods and a reduction in aggressive behavior.

Op-Ed: Tech Can Enhance Parks
In the traditional view, nature and digital technology clash. But for many people, tech can offer ways to better engage with parks.

How Lizards Can Teach Planners About Designing Cities
Ecologists offer scientific lessons in how to better build cities for humans and wildlife.

Add Complexity to Your Life
The City of Calgary aims to restore 20 percent of its open space to increase biodiversity. Complex nature is—and needs to be seen as—foundational to our day-to-day lives, both for our well being, and the health of nature itself.

Rethinking the Definition of City
A city has always been understood and defined as a pattern of human settlement. This op-ed suggests that a city needs to be a product of its environment, rather than the environment simply being a product of it.

Nature and Art: A Christmas Plea for Cities
I wrote an urbanist Christmas wish list last week for Fast Forward Weekly. I figured I'd elaborate on one of my wishes for weedy nature and public art: disturbance oriented art.
Friday Eye Candy: Life Finds A Way
NPR's Cities Project is crowdsourcing Instagram photos of nature creeping back into urban spaces.
New Research Attempts to Quantify the Health Impacts of Design and Nature
There is already good evidence that exposure to green landscapes is good for people. The next frontier of research in the health impacts of designed environments is to be able to quantify connections between design decisions and life expectancy.
Matching Urban Nature to Community Values
Researcher Chris Ives suggests that rather than relying solely on economic gains to justify urban nature and biodiversity, community values may be more effective in gaining public support.
ASLA Assembles Reservoir of Resources on Health Benefits of Nature
For years, science has been catching up to the intuitive wisdom that spending time in, or adjacent to, nature has physical and mental health benefits. The ASLA has collected a trove of this research in one easy to navigate website.
Realigning Nature and the City
Using two paradigms addressing synergies of nature and the city, Chuck Wolfe contrasts gradually merging animal and human habitats in the United States with calculated greening of city spaces overseas.
NPR Turns Its Attention to Cities
Announced this week by All Things Considered hosts Melissa Block and Robert Siegel, National Public Radio is launching a new series called the NPR Cities Project and they're asking listeners for their input.
San Francisco's Battle With Mother Nature
As climate change accelerates coastal erosion across the continent, officials everywhere look to San Francisco to see how it will stem the tide, Felicity Barringer reports.
Mongolia Constructs Glacier To Cool Capital
The Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator will begin construction this winter of an artificial glacier to cool the city next summer and provide melt water for drinking and irrigation.
Nature Essential to Counteract Modern Life
Richard Louv says we're drowning in a "sea of circuitry" and in desperate need to reconnect with greenery and nature in our living spaces to sooth our souls.
Pagination
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service