Urban planning

Here are some selected links you might like to try.

Please note: sites open in a new window

Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC)
A national and international centre of excellence for for the skills and knowledge needed to create strong, prosperous communities.
http://www.ascskills.org.uk/pages/home|

Action for Market Towns
Action for Market Towns is a membership organisation that exists to promote the vitality and viability of small towns, helping them to tackle the challenges they face and providing a national focus for critical issues. Includes information and articles.
http://www.towns.org.uk/|

Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM)
The ATCM is a non-governmental organisation, with hundreds of members representing towns and cities and public and private sector organisations. Includes details of research.
http://www.atcm.org/|

Carfree Cities
Promotes a solution to the vexing problem of the urban automobile which also provides a better quality of life, reduced energy consumption, and improved long-term sustainability.
http://www.carfree.com/|

Center for Neighborhood Technology
Center for Neighborhood Technology is a non-profit organisation that helps build prosperous, sustainable communities by linking economic and community development with ecological improvement.
http://www.cnt.org/|

CharretteCenter.net
CharretteCenter.net is an online compendium of free information for the community based urban design process. Mostly US-based, but of international interest.
http://www.charrettecenter.net/charrettecenter.asp?a=spf&pfk=7|

Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED)
American organisation that helps local communities respond to the challenges they may be facing. Includes research tools, links, etc. that have at least some international application.
http://www.cued.org/|

European Academy of the Urban Environment
The Academy aims to encourage exchange of experience amongst local government decision makers in all spheres of sustainable urban development. Provides access to detailed information on good practice in European urban development.
http://www.eaue.de/|

European Association of Historic Towns and Regions
Information and guidance on historic towns and regions across Europe, covering such areas as conservation, retailing and transport issues.
http://www.historic-towns.org/|

Home Zones
Home Zones are an attempt to strike a balance between vehicular traffic and everyone else who uses the street, the pedestrians, cyclists, business people and residents. The site offers advice and information on Home Zones in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
http://www.homezones.org/|

International Urban Development Association (INTA)
INTA is an international network that encourages the exchange of information, experience and best practices on urban development and renewal across the world. Includes list of publications and links to selected sites.
http://www.inta-aivn.org/|

Living Room
Discusses urban and suburban design, transportation modalities, habitat preservation, urban farming, social and environmental economics, etc. Includes articles and links.
http://www.living-room.org/|

Megacities 2000
Dutch-based international sites discussing the development of super-large cities, and the impact this will have. Includes the full text of lectures, and a forum.
http://www.megacities.nl/|

Ruavista - Signs of the City
Ruavista explores city streets and urban life through all kinds of signs: street graphics, architecture, street sounds. It contains articles, online exhibitions, a photo forum, a bibliography and links to other resources.
http://www.ruavista.com/|

Sustainable Urban Design and Climate
Australian site covering how cities alter the climate. Most of the information provided is on Australian cities, but much of the general information is applicable elsewhere.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/environ/design/design.shtml|

Urban and Economic Development Group
The Urban and Economic Development Group is a not-for-profit urban regeneration consultancy.
http://www.urbed.co.uk/|

Urban Archives
Original, cross-disciplinary, scholarly analyses of the discussion on urban space taking place in disciplines such as Geography, History, Architecture, Anthropology, Urban Planning, and Law among others.
http://www.urbanarchives.org/|

Urban Design Alliance (UDAL)
The Urban Design Alliance (UDAL) has been formed by a group of leading professions and other bodies committed to improving the quality of urban life through urban design.
http://www.udal.org.uk/|

Urban Design Compendium
As a companion to the two Urban Design Compendium publications this site provides guidance on good urban design – summarising the principles of urban design, how they can be applied and the processes which lead to successful places. Chapters of the publications can be downloaded throughout.
http://www.urbandesigncompendium.co.uk/|

Urban Morphology Research Group (UMRG)
The major centre in the United Kingdom for the study of the geographical aspects of urban form.
http://www.gees.bham.ac.uk/research/umrg/|

Urbanism.org
A source for projects and writings on urban issues, design and culture.
http://www.urbanism.org/|

What Main Street Can Learn From the Mall
Lengthy and interesting article on the psychology of shopping centres both in and out of town.
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/95nov/malls/malls.htm|

Worldview
Perspectives on architecture and urbanism from around the globe, with in-depth studies of selected cites. Requires Flash.
http://www.worldviewcities.org/|