World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

The American Dream in Reverse

With housing prices out of reach for many immigrants in the U.S., more and more are investing in houses in their home countries -- and their governments and local lenders are doing all they can to encourage it.

July 7, 2008 - The Boston Globe

The Importance of Posters in Public Life

Street posters play an important role in participatory civic life, according to this article from re:place magazine.

July 7, 2008 - re:place

Green Report Card Rates Countries, Highlights Shortcomings

Grading countries for their environmental friendliness reveals some surprising results about which countries aren't doing enough to clean themselves up.

July 2, 2008 - Newsweek

Oil and Coal Will Continue To Be Energy Mainstays

Unless international carbon-capping treaties are implemented, fossil fuel consumption (with their greenhouse gas emissions) will increase 50% by 2030, largely resulting from growth in energy consumption in China and other developing nations.

July 1, 2008 - Associated Press via Google News

The Green City of the Future

This multimedia presentation from Popular Science offers a vision of future green cities and the technologies that will sustain them.

June 29, 2008 - Popular Science

Most Polluted Cities

This slideshow from Popular Science looks at some of the most heavily polluted cities in the world.

June 28, 2008 - Popular Science

Mike Davis Reflects on the Meaning of Dubai

Mike Davis wonders if the excesses of Dubai portend a rapidly-warming and deteriorating world of diverging urban fortunes, where a minority live in eco-friendly luxury, while most endure polluted squalor.

June 27, 2008 - TomDispatch

People Mover

This article from Next American City looks at escalators -- the expensive, energy-intensive, and often under-used transportation mode.

June 27, 2008 - The Next American City

Bucky's Sustainable Planet

Inventor, visionary, and architect Buckminster Fuller used design to tackle problems including homelessness and environmental degradation.

June 26, 2008 - Democracy Now!

Open Source Architecture

Architects are coming together to create innovative designs aimed at solving the world's tough humanitarian problems.

June 26, 2008 - PBS: Frontline

New Cruise Ship Will Have Its Own 'Central Park'

Royal Caribbean is building the world's largest cruise ship, which will be a city in its own right with seven different neighborhoods and a central public space/urban park.

June 22, 2008 - Gizmodo

Jaime Lerner's Ideas Go Global

Metropolis Magazine talks with bus rapid transit pioneer Jaime Lerner about the gradual global spread of his successful ideas from Curitiba.

June 21, 2008 - Metropolis Magazine

Top 10 Most Livable Cities

Monocle Magazine looks worldwide for the most livable cities.

June 20, 2008 - Monocle Magazine

On the Verge of Replacement, 'Geographical Community' Survives

The rise in virtual connections and Internet-based communities had many worried that traditional community interaction was dying out. Governing's Alan Ehrenhalt argues it hasn't yet, and probably won't.

June 19, 2008 - Governing

China Using 10 Times More Cement Than Anyone Else

The Oil Drum charts recent figures released by the U.S. Geological Survey, which show a stunning growth in cement use (and therefore, presumably, building activity) in China as compared to world usage.

June 18, 2008 - The Oil Drum

Protests, Riots Go Global as Fuel Costs Soar

Protests both peaceful and violent are breaking out across Europe and Asia as people's livelihoods begin to suffer from soaring fuel costs, and some stores are running out of food as truck drivers go on strike.

June 16, 2008 - This Is London

The Legacy of Brasilia

The Atlantic Monthly reviews a new book on architect Oscar Niemeyer and his work that- like the infamous city of Brasilia- "continues to enchant and appall students of architecture and urban planning."

June 15, 2008 - The Atlantic Monthly

Friday Funny: Creepy Mansions Not Exempt From Housing Market Slump

The recent housing slump is now showing its face in the "creepy mansion" market, where sales have plummeted, according to this article from The Onion.

June 13, 2008 - The Onion

Zurich, Geneva and Vienna: Best Quality of Life?

Central European cities lead the world in this assessment of 'quality of living.' The survey is oriented towards companies who could locate workers in those countries and need to calculate 'hardship allowances.'

June 13, 2008 - Citymayors.com

Re-Imagining Suburbs as Towns

This article from City Journal looks at the anti-modernist architect Leon Krier's plan for remaking suburbs into self-contained towns.

June 12, 2008 - City 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.