World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Parking

Cities Must Manage Parking or Face Pollution and Inequity

Free easily-accessible parking rewards car ownership and pushes up the cost of housing, argue Rebecca Clements and Alan March.

March 4, 2018 - Foreground

Drinking Water

Happy Hour: A Playlist of Songs About Water

Here's a concept we can get behind.

March 2, 2018 - The Fresno Bee

Traffic Cones

Friday Funny: A Cartoon on the Human Element of Traffic Safety

This might be one of those uncomfortable laughs.

February 23, 2018 - xkcd

Malaysia

Current Research on Sustainable Urban Development

"Penn: Current Research on Sustainable Urban Development" is a collection of 11 research papers on key urban topics, authored by faculty, associated researchers and fellows from three centers at the University of Pennsylvania.

February 22, 2018 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Traffic

EPA Releases Draft Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 to 2016

The inventory, a requirement from a 1992 U.N. treaty, shows emissions from most sectors are either decreasing or holding steady. The major exception: transportation.

February 21, 2018 - Climatewire

Pedestrian Markings

New Toolkit for Walkability Presented at the World Urban Forum

At the ninth session of the World Urban Forum held earlier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy introduced their new "Pedestrian First" toolkit to measure and promote walkability in urban environments.

February 19, 2018 - Thomson Reuters Foundation

Technology and Today's 'City Observed'

Computer vision and machine learning promise to change the way we see and understand urban life.

February 18, 2018 - Curbed

Brazil Olympics

Abandoned Olympic Venues Cast Doubt on the Value of Hosting

Though cities hope for an economic boost, these photos show it's far from guaranteed.

February 17, 2018 - Business Insider

Paris Trees

The World's Most Iconic Architecture, Brought to You By Taxes and Regulation

How many now-classic design features are actually tax-avoidance strategies?

February 16, 2018 - 99% Invisible

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Self-Driving Cars Hog Power

Self-driving cars process a tremendous amount of data to pilot themselves through crowded streets. That computing power needs electricity, and lots of it.

February 15, 2018 - Wired

Place It Workshop

Let Me Tell You a Story! Storytelling to Enhance Urban Planning Engagement

Storytelling are a key tool for planners. Here are a few tips on how to integrate storytelling into planning processes.

February 14, 2018 - James Rojas

Flame Towers

Mapping the Collision Course of Sprawl and Biodiversity

The expansion of the built environment proceeds with little regard for the loss of biodiversity, and the planning field isn't doing enough to help.

February 9, 2018 - ASLA The Dirt

Walkable Street

New Tools for Making Walkable Places

Eleven ways to make a city more walkable.

February 8, 2018 - Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

Carpool Lane

How Lyft and Uber Can Fix—Not Cause—Congestion

While evidence mounts that Uber and Lyft are stealing rides from public transit, there's still a chance for ride-hailing apps to do more to help than hurt congestion. The key: using ride-hailing apps to carpool.

February 7, 2018 - Dan Sperling

State of the Union: The Major Policy President Trump Missed

No, this post is not about the Russia investigation nor #MeToo, but the state of climate policy in the U.S. after President Trump's first year. Surprisingly, it's not as bad as one might think, no thanks to Trump though.

February 1, 2018 - The New York Times - Climate

Smart and Beautiful Paths to Sustainability

In a beautiful and inspiring new book, "S.M.A.R.T. – Paths to Sustainability" 34 artists and authors from five continents give their views on aspects of sustainable development.

February 1, 2018 - S.M.A.R.T. - PATHS TO SUSTAINABILITY

Baltimore, Maryland

How British Investments Enabled American Segregation

Exploring the surprising origins of the American suburbs.

January 30, 2018 - Building Suburban Power

Electric Car Charging

Energy Transformation Predicted in 12 Years

By 2030, the world's consumption of oil will drop due to increasing electric vehicle sales, according to a report by Bank of America. Other researchers disagree on the timeframe. The report is useful for highlighting the term, "peak oil demand."

January 26, 2018 - Bloomberg News

Pride Parade

Mapping the LGBTQ-Friendliness of the World's Cities

A colorful data visualization tool maps information about which cities have the most protections for LGBTQ people in place. The tool is intended as a resource for LGBTQ travelers.

January 25, 2018 - Fast Co. Design

Alternative Transportation

E-Bikes Are Catching On

It looks like electric bikes are here to stay.

January 23, 2018 - CNN

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.