Paris

Aerial view of the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Meet the New River Seine

The Paris Olympics will highlight the renaissance of the city’s famous river.

August 17, 2023 - World Crunch

A conceptual rendering of the planned Tour Triangle building sticks above the Paris skyline, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Paris Reinstates Historic Height Limits as Part of its New Bioclimatic Local Urban Plan

Paris’ reinstated height limits, lowering height limits allowed in 2010, are part of Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s recently released Bioclimatic Local Urban Plan.

June 25, 2023 - Dezeen

A local train is in motion on one of the platforms at the Amsterdaam Centraal train station.

Eurostar Temporarily Closing Two High-Speed Rail Routes

Eurostar is temporarily closing routes from London to Disneyland Paris and London to Amsterdam.

June 15, 2023 - Trains

The public market at Warwick JUnction in Durban, South Africa is visible with the city ‘s high-rise buildings in the background.

6 International Models of Urban Revitalization

The New York Times recently published an article exploring six cities from around the world reinventing themselves for the 21st century: Paris, Sydney, Medellin, Lisbon, Singapore, and Durban.

April 3, 2023 - The New York Times

People on bikes on crowded Rue de Rivoli in Paris in 2020

Where Pandemic Bike Improvements Won Out

While some cities are reverting back to pre-pandemic street configurations, others are taking advantage of the momentum for bike and pedestrian infrastructure to make pandemic-era projects permanent.

January 29, 2023 - Momentum Magazine

Pandemic Bike Lanes

Europe Building a Post-Car Future

While the United States mobilizes to transition to electric cars, cities and countries in Europe are transitioning to fewer cars.

September 6, 2022 - Yahoo News

Bike Traffic

Paris To Ban Most Cars in 'Quiet Zone'

Continuing Mayor Anne Hidalgo's efforts to make Paris more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, the city plans to implement a 'car-light' zone in the city center that prohibits through traffic.

February 28, 2022 - Fast Company

Medellin

Paris Approves First Aerial Gondola

An aerial tramway project in the French capital cleared feasibility studies and could open in 2025.

February 8, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Noise

Using Tech to Control Noise Pollution

Several cities are piloting programs that use machine learning to identify and understand urban noise patterns and enforce noise ordinances.

December 13, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Pandemic Bike Lanes

Paris Plans to Become a '100 Percent Cyclable' City

Mayor Anne Hidalgo continues her commitment to making Paris more bikeable with a new plan that will improve bike parking and facilities in the French capital.

October 28, 2021 - Forbes

Tour Montparnasse

How Paris Improved Sustainability and Livability In Its Public Housing

Over the last decade, the city has made massive investments in retrofitting 'social housing' with minimal disruptions and displacement of residents.

October 11, 2021 - Grist

Seine

The Car-Free Revolution Continues in Paris

The city continues to reclaim space for pedestrians and cyclists.

September 22, 2021 - Slate

Champs-Elysees

'The World's Most Beautiful Avenue' Getting A Green Makeover

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo approved a new plan to revitalize the Champs Élysées ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

January 21, 2021 - The Guardian

Paris Aerial

From Paris to Portland: The 15-Minute City Goes Mainstream

Raising the bar on the 20-minute neighborhood model, cities around the world are embracing the appeal of the 15-minute city during the coronavirus pandemic.

November 18, 2020 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Metro Paris

Students Under 18 Ride for Free on Paris Buses and Trains

The city of Paris is taking another step to entice more people out of cars and onto transit.

September 7, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Indoor Kale

Lockdown Benefits Urban Farmers In Paris

Pandemic induced lockdown kept Parisians within 1 km of their homes during lockdown, benefiting urban farmers and advocates for a diversified local food supply.

July 29, 2020 - Citymetric

Ça c'est Paris

Who Stands to Benefit from Speed Limit Reductions on the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris?

Proposed plans to reduce the speed limit and narrow the Boulevard Périphérique have sparked debate in Paris. If reelected, Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to implement these changes in addition to other urban-mobility effective policies.

June 25, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Central Park from Rockefeller Center Historic Photo

Design in the Time of Cholera: How Pandemics Reshaped the Built Environment

Some of the most beloved public parks and essential advances in public sanitation can be traced back to their roots in the Cholera outbreaks in the 1800s.

May 8, 2020 - History

Bike Traffic

Bikes Take Priority in Post-Lockdown Paris

Faced with the task of rethinking its transportation systems in the face of the ongoing public health crisis, Paris and the Île-de-France are clearing the way for people on bikes.

April 24, 2020 - Forbes

Paris Aerial

What California Can Learn from France About Tackling a Housing Crisis

As California continues to grapple with staggering housing issues, France's experience offers lessons about the kinds of housing policies and strategies that work.

January 6, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

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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.