World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Green School Designs Struggle For Acceptance

The emerging focus on sustainable design has moved into the realm of education, with architects and designers looking at the best ways to create green schools. But while the idea is popular, its implementation is meeting resistance.

October 8, 2007 - Good

Grandpa, What's A 'Pay Phone'?

Entrepreneur.com's list of the 10 types of businesses most likely to be extinct in 10 years suggest a very different kind of city.

October 4, 2007 - Entrepreneur.com

The Building's Green, But What About The Commute?

This article from Environmental Building News looks at the energy required to get workers from home to work -- often a use of energy that far surpasses that of the workplace itself.

October 4, 2007 - Environmental Building News

Location Is Important, But So Is Timing

This column from The Washington Post discusses the other most important criteria for development: timing.

September 30, 2007 - The Washington Post

Friday Funny: Pigeon Problems? Put 'Em On The Pill

Pigeon poop is driving officials crazy in towns across the world -- crazy enough to propose putting the birds on birth control to cut down their populations.

September 28, 2007 - BBC

Carbon Control From The Sea

World-renowned environment experts have proposed a system of huge tubes placed in the world's oceans that would cycle nutrients to encourage booms in the population of algae -- organisms that naturally consume and sequester carbon.

September 28, 2007 - The Guardian

Is LEED's Success Demeaning Its Value?

The U.S. Green Building Council's green building certification system LEED has become the industry standard in recent years, but is the system's intended goal of encouraging environmentally-friendly buildings being limited by its success?

September 28, 2007 - Fast Company

Could Planning Decisions Form A New Climate Change Policy?

Land use, housing location, and the "everyday decisions" of planners are the backbone of a new way of looking at climate change policy, according to this article from the Los Angeles Times.

September 26, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Looking For The Best City Sounds

Researchers in the UK are working to create a database of urban sounds -- both the good and the bad -- in an effort to help planners, designers, and architects create cities everyone wants to listen to.

September 25, 2007 - The Observer

Weighing BRT

This four-part blog from Wired gives a nuts-and-bolts look at bus rapid transit, using examples of planned systems, successful systems, and troubled systems.

September 25, 2007 - Wired

Modernism In Fragments

Nathan Glazer's From a Cause to a Style: Modernist Architecture's Encounter with the American City reveals how this influential social movement's good intentions shaped the look of the 20th century.

September 24, 2007 - Josh Stephens

The Business Behind Bike Rentals

Two outdoor advertising firms are the operators behind the scenes in most of the world's bicycle rental programs, including a recently launched system in Paris. The two firms continue to battle for control of future systems, and advertising rights.

September 21, 2007 - The Economist

Report Says Sprawl Will Offset Any Reductions In Auto Emissions

A new report from the Urban Land Institute says that even with increased fuel efficiency in cars, an increasing rate of vehicle miles traveled due to sprawling development will counteract any reductions in emissions.

September 21, 2007 - The Detroit Free Press

How Experiences In The Virtual World Can Improve Real Life

In this column, urban planning professor Justin Hollander asserts that online games such as “Second Life” have the potential to enable genuine public participation in civic affairs.

September 20, 2007 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

World's Financial Centers Thrive Despite Tech Boom

Predictions that our high-tech age of connectivity and wire-free communications would drain big cities, the world's financial centers remain heavily populated and their economies are thriving.

September 16, 2007 - The Economist

World Ag At Risk From Global Warming

World agricultural productivity could decline between 3-16% by 2080. Developing countries will experience the biggest drop.

September 16, 2007 - Center for Global Development

Municipal Wi-Fi Networks: Easier Said Than Done

After a flurry of announcements regarding blanketing cities with free Internet access, the actual forecast for these wireless networks looks rather bleak.

September 15, 2007 - The Economist

Outsourcing Pollution: The Dirty Side Of Clean Alternatives

Physicist and renowned environmental leader, Vandana Shiva, talks about globalization, emissions trading, and environmental justice.

September 14, 2007 - Democracy Now!

The Most Polluted Places In The World

This article from Time magazine looks at the 10 most polluted places in the world, the types and causes of the pollution, and the number of people affected.

September 14, 2007 - Time

Will China Follow In America's Footsteps?

Scientists who studied pollution from a pair of major cities in both the U.S. and China urge the rapidly developing nation to learn from the past environmental mistakes in the U.S.

September 6, 2007 - AP via Forbes

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.