World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Pedestrians and cyclists in busy city crosswalk with blurred motion

Vision Zero Cities Journal 2022: Traffic Safety Guidance for a Safer Future

The Vision Zero Cities Journal provides information on traffic safety innovations and the global movement toward Vision Zero.

October 21, 2022 - Vision Zero Cities Journal

Protest Crowd

Breaking the Bias on Public Transport

How gender-sensitive data collection can make public transit safer for women.

October 20, 2022 - Louise Ribet

Close-up of multicolored gas station pumps

OPEC Plus Decision to Reduce Oil Output Could Lead to Global Recession

A decision earlier this month by a group of the world's largest oil exporters to drastically reduce oil production to stem the decline in oil prices could be a ‘tipping point’ for a global recession, says the International Energy Agency.

October 19, 2022 - The Hill

Nederlandsche Bank building, Amsterdam

The Cradle-to-Cradle Approach to Building

The circular economy. Cradle-to-cradle. The regenerative economy. Whatever you call it, an approach to building that eliminates waste would transform the next generation of the built environment.

October 14, 2022 - The New York Times

Photo of European road in medieval city

Parking and Sustainable Urban Mobility

Parking policy, and any potential change in it, is a highly contested issue in most cities. The integration of parking measures into a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) can help achieve long-term goals.

October 12, 2022 - Parking and SUMP - Using parking management to achieve SUMP objectives effectively and sustainably’

Car Graveyard

The Beginning of the End of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle?

The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously on August 25 to begin a phased ban on the sale of passenger vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel beginning in 2026 when over a third of new vehicles sold in California must be zero-emissions.

August 29, 2022 - The New York Times

Women Public Space

Urban Design Through a Gender Lens

Building cities to be safe and accessible for women and LGBTQIA+ people has benefits for all users of public space.

August 11, 2022 - Architecture Daily

Portland Transit

'Intersections + Identities: A Radical Rethinking of Our Transportation Experiences'

The American Planning Association's free "State of Transportation Planning Report" includes more than two dozen interesting and entertaining chapters by diverse authors on the subjects of planning resilience, equity, technology and mobility.

August 10, 2022 - Intersections + Identities A Radical Rethinking of Our Transportation Experiences

Kids

Opinion: Aging Population, Declining Fertility Requires Long-Term Investments

Faced with the dire consequences of a one-two punch of aging populations and declining birthrates, one writer has suggestions for how policy can help ensure a better future.

August 9, 2022 - Financial Times

Stanford

Stopping Climate Change Requires Doing, Not Studying

A $1.1 billion donation to Stanford seeks to mitigate climate change. As impressive as that gesture is, the real solutions to climate change lie in hearts and minds around the world—and not in Palo Alto, California.

August 4, 2022 - California Planning & Development Report

Henan

Clean Air Programs Increase Property Values, Study Says

What’s good for the planet is good for the economy, according to a recent study published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

July 28, 2022 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Gas Pumps

Is $7 a Gallon for Gas on the Horizon?

Global oil prices may skyrocket when the European Union, which receives about one third of its oil from Russia, enacts a partial ban on importing Russian oil at the end of the year to stop financing Russia's war in Ukraine.

July 28, 2022 - The New York Times

Woman riding cargo bike with two small children on Copenhagen street next to a canal

How Cargo Bikes Can Help Women

Cargo bikes have proven an effective transport mode in cities around the world, but American women still hesitate to use them, citing safety concerns.

July 25, 2022 - Women Mobilize Women

Lawns and Suburban Homes

The Rise of Artificial Turf

Once scratchy and unrealistic, artificial grass has come a long way. Now, it’s quickly becoming a popular lawn replacement as droughts and climate change make traditional lawns harder to maintain.

July 19, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Dark tunnel with staircase

The City Haunts Itself

According to one author, urban ghost stories are one way humans fight the alienation of modern life.

July 17, 2022 - Aeon

Aerial view of crosswalk with digital 'smart' crosswalk concept

Behind the Allure of the ‘Smart City’

The glamour of digital technology can obscure the hard work of building healthy, sustainable cities.

June 28, 2022 - Technology Review

3D rendering of a hydrogen storage facility with wind turbines in background

Energy Department Resumes Loan Program with Hydrogen Storage

The Energy Department's loan office, known for a bad loan to the solar panel startup Solyndra in 2011, will loan $504 million to a company that will use renewable energy to create 'green hydrogen' and store it in salt caverns in Utah.

June 21, 2022 - U.S. Department of Energy

Woman smelling flowers at a street stand

Sensory Urbanism Fights ‘Visual Bias’ in Planning

Researchers are beginning to understand the effect of sounds, smells, and tastes in the urban experience.

June 20, 2022 - Technology Review

Google Street View car in rural area

How Digital Mapping Can Reinforce Inequity

Digital mapping tools like Google Street View often obscure the realities of cities and concentrate their resources in the wealthiest countries, effectively ‘erasing’ some places from the global map.

June 16, 2022 - ArchDaily

Bike Light

The Mystique of the Bicycle

A new book illuminates the history and meaning of the bicycle in human society.

June 5, 2022 - The Atlantic

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.