World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Unprecedented Urbanization

A new global map released by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre reveals that 95% of the world's population lives on 10% of the land.

December 23, 2008 - Science Daily

Is Urbanism Enough to Curb Global Warming?

Witold Rybczynski reports on a recent conference at the University of Pennsylvania at which planners emphasized technology. He thinks that there is more to it than that.

December 19, 2008 - Slate.com

Streets, Reconquered

This piece from Worldchanging looks at recent efforts by cities to "reconquer" streets by making them (temporarily, at least) pedestrianized and closed off to car traffic.

December 15, 2008 - WorldChanging

World's Ugliest Buildings

Virtual Tourist selects its top 10 ugliest buildings, ranging from the Brutalist Boston City Hall to the Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts.

December 13, 2008 - Virtual Tourist

Is 'Peak Hierarchy' Next?

David Bollier argues that large institutions and businesses may have reached their peak, and we're headed towards a 'peer production' economy.

December 12, 2008 - On The Commons

Not Your Typical Brick

Bricks have been a building staple for a long time, but the sky's the limit for their aesthetic uses.

December 10, 2008 - GOOD Magazine

Lego New Urbanism

Lego released a number of new sets in 2008 that look surprisingly New Urbanist in design, including the 'Green Grocer' set, which is mixed-use with a grocery store on the ground floor and detailed streetscaping.

December 9, 2008 - Brick Journal

Reconsidering Asphalt

Landscape architect Paula Meijerink is calling on designers to rethink asphalt, and she's taking her efforts to the streets.

December 8, 2008 - The Boston Globe

What Green Architecture Really Means

Architect David Cook looks at the sustainability craze in building and architecture and warns that calling something "green" doesn't necessarily make it so.

December 8, 2008 - Flavorwire

BRT: A Case of Mistaken Identity

December 8, 2008 - Jeffrey Wood

Le Corbusier Was 'Utterly Obnoxious'

The Washington Post reviews Le Corbusier: A Life, a new biography by Nicholas Fox Weber, and finds it a messy book that nonetheless makes clear his "monomaniacal, narcissistic and pugilistic temperament."

December 7, 2008 - Washington Post

Getting Off Oil Without the 'C' Word

Amory Lovins, co-founder and chairman of Rocky Mountain Institute, believes that governments and the private sector need to identify and remove barriers to energy efficiency, rather than simply promoting "conservation."

December 6, 2008 - AlterNet

Cities: Use What You've Got

According to Philip Myrick, communities that will fare the best economically are the ones that think locally and employ placemaking strategies.

December 1, 2008 - Project For Public Spaces

How to Empower the World's Poor

The key to solving global poverty is possessing secure land and property tenure, according to this opinion piece. Having such security enables poor communities, even those here at home, to make demands from their governments.

November 29, 2008 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Urban Subcultures and Sartorial Landscapes

An annual online photo exhibit explores the fashion subcultures of different cities, which are often defined by musical tastes.

November 27, 2008 - The Globe and Mail

Experiments Validate Broken Windows Theory

The controversial theory that social and physical disorder is a cause of neighborhood crime has been successfully demonstrated with a series of six experiments.

November 27, 2008 - The Economist

Mapping Out More than Land Mass

Cartographer Mark Newman's new book, 'The Atlas of the Real World', includes maps that show more than just 'how many acres there are in a country.' Malaria cases and health care spending per capita are among some of Newman's unconventional maps.

November 26, 2008 - National Public Radio

Behold, the Square Traffic Light

Want to give your city a unique look? Try these new square traffic lights.

November 25, 2008 - Art Lebedev Studio

Fantastic Gallery of Green Urban Futures

The Web Urbanist has compiled a gallery of fantastic designs for more sustainable urbanism.

November 25, 2008 - Web Urbanist

Architects Trying Too Hard

Witold Rybczynski says that architects are trying too hard to build buildings that are attention-getting rather than going for timeless designs.

November 24, 2008 - Wall St. Journal

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.