World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
The 'One-Planet City'
Planning student Jennie Moore is going a step beyond the 'ecological footprint' model, and is researching what she calls the 'one-planet city'.
Looking for a Parking Spot? Go Online
A collection of links to online sources for parking spots.
Can 'Green' Cement Eliminate C02?
Cement production is notorious for generating large amounts of C02. Now a Stanford professor claims to have developed a new process that will eliminate the problem.
A Big Idea: Solar-Powered Cargo Ships
Toyota has hired two firms to build solar panels to augment the diesel engines on their car-carrying behemoths. The result will be a cut in CO2 emissions of 1 to 2 percent per year, or about 20 tons.
The Black Cloud: Using Games to Understand Air Quality
Human behavior and land use affect air quality, and those effects are very distinct at the local level. A new environmental game fusing public participation, air quality sensors and web technology shows how.
The Quest for the Perfect City
The director of the Design Museum in London reflects on the mostly unfortunate quest for perfection in city planning and architecture, as the museum's new exhibit, Design Cities, opens.
Mixed-Use for Volgograd
Volgograd, Russia (formerly Stalingrad) is getting a new mixed-use city center, designed with the idea of "shopping as museum and exhibition space".
Ice Melts Open Shipping Passages
For the first time in recorded history, the Northwest and the Northeast passages are free enough of ice to be navigable. Shipping companies welcome this effect of global climate change.
'Sustainability Toolbar' Released for Google Sketchup
Integrated Environmental Solutions is releasing a free plug-in for Google's SketchUp software that allows users to run sustainability performance simulations.
Calculating Your 'Water Footprint'
Your morning cup of joe - all things considered - takes 140 liters of water to make. A new study reveals the true cost in water usage for crops and cultures.
Lasers May Make Nuclear Power More Efficient (and Bombs Easier to Make)
G.E. is currently experimenting with a new lased-based technology that could make nuclear enrichment much easier. This would be a boon to nuclear power, but would also make nuclear-based weapons easier to make.
Public Sculpture is Getting Better
After an experimental phase of earthworks and video installations, public art is on the rise. And, a New York Times art critic reports, the quality is looking up.
Treechitecture
Civic amenities, public spaces, and even housing could one day be formed by living trees. Researchers are looking into this new idea.
The Future of the Electric Car
Shai Agassi, who's not quite the household name T. Boone Pickens is, has an even more radical plan to end the planet's oil addiction.
Buildings With Living Skins
Giant video screens and lighting displays are changing the face of buildings, but the content has not caught up to the technology. Peter Hall of Design Institute proposes that these displays could reflect the inner life of the buildings and the city.
Beyond LEED: Buildings That Give Back
A handful of thinkers and architects are pushing past LEED requirements to design buildings that generate more energy than they use.
Bridge Building Goes Beyond Transport
This article from the BBC looks at the new face of bridge development and argues that crossing rivers is no longer the main reason they're built.
Oil Supply Crunch May Hit In Five Years
Using the term 'oil supply crunch' as opposed to 'peak oil', this British report indicates that the oil crisis will hit by 2013, with prices jumping to $200/barrel. It states that the problem is not insufficient oil but obstacles to its extraction.
Riding in Peace
'Quiet' cars on trains -- where cell phones and loud headphones are banned -- are widely popular. So why aren't more transit agencies making designated quiet cars?
The Spread of Ciclovia
Temporary street closures for pedestrian use -- an idea that spawned in Bogota, Colombia -- are occurring in cities all over the world. The trend is expected to continue.
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
