links

A growing list of relevant websites for anybody interested in exploring and shaping cities. Suggestions for additions or corrections will be gladly received!

 

• A brief introduction to urban planning and the profession

Germany

• The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) is a departmental research institution under the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI). It advices the Federal Government with sectoral scientific consultation in the political fields of spatial planning, urban development, housing and building.
• The Vereinigung für Stadt-, Regional- und Landesplanung e.V. (SRL) (Organization for Urban, Regional and State Planning) is a national network whose members are active in all areas of planning (urban planning, transport planning, landscape planning, environmental planning etc.) (website in German).
• The Informationskreis für Raumplanung (IFR) (Informational Platform for Spatial Planning) serves as a nation-wide professional organization representing more than 1,700 planners (website in German).

Berlin

• The Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing
• TimeMap Berlin offers a time slider with which one can observe and compare the various stages of urban development in Berlin from the 19th and 20th century (website in German).
• HistoMapBerlin displays a collection of geo-referenced historical maps of Berlin.
• The organization Berliner Unterwelten e.V. - Society for the exploration and documentation of subterranean architecture offers guided tours through the hidden history of Berlin and its infrastructure systems – sewers, gas, water and power mains as well as public transport.
• The exhibition City Visions 1910|2010 (Berlin, London, Glasgow) presents Berlin, Paris, London and Chicago as international centers for urban design yesterday (1910) and today (2010). It shows how these urban laboratories sought answers to various urban challenges, such as traffic and housing, and tested new visions and solutions for urban design. Jan Schultheiß was actively involved in bringing this exhibit to Chicago (website in German).
• The reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace, demolished in 1950, has long been controversially discussed. The German parliament decided the construction of a modern building with baroque facades. Upon its completion in 2020, the so-called Humboldtforum houses a university library as well as exhibition spaces, among others.

USA

• The American Planning Association (APA) is an independent, non-profit education organization and supports communities and neighborhoods with their development.
• Planetizen is an informational platform for people interested in the built and natural environments in the disciplines of urban planning, design and development and covers a wide range of topics - from traffic to climate change, from architecture to infrastructure, from housing and neighborhood development to historic preservation.

Boston

• The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial developments.
• The Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as the "Big Dig", was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the chief highway through the heart of the city into a tunnel. This most expensive highway project in the U.S. enabled the city to reconnect with its waterfront and created new public spaces, chiefly the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Chicago

• Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is a creative think-tank that conducts research to develop concrete solutions that aim at urban sustainability in areas like traffic, neighborhood development, energy, water and climate change.
• The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) supports and designs solutions for a sustainable and prosperous development of the Chicago region.
• The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is a regional planning organization that steers the implementation of GO TO 2040, the first comprehensive regional planning in the greater Chicago areas in over 100 years. GO TO 2040 is centered around issues of traffic, housing, economic development, open space planning, the environment etc.
• The Chicago Architecture Foundation is dedicated to advancing awareness and appreciation of architecture and design through tours, exhibitions, lectures etc.
• Millennium Park, built atop former rail yards in downtown Chicago, evolved from a public-private partnership and with the involvement of architect Frank Gehry. One of the largest and most ambitious projects in the city’s history, it created an attractive combination of landscape design, modern architecture and monumental sculptures.
• The 606 turned a former rail viaduct into an elevated, multi-purpose trail and park, similar to the High Line in New York. The author of this website was engaged in the early stages of this project.

New York

• The New York City Department of City Planning is the governmental agency responsible for setting the framework of the city’s physical and socioeconomic planning.
• OneNYC is a strategic plan for New York and responds to the challenges of a growing population, an aging infrastructure, climate change and a changing economy.
• The Regional Plan Association (RPA) is an independent, not-for-profit regional planning organization. Founded in 1922, it has striven to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region.
• Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit organization in the areas of urban planning, design and education and supports citizens and communities with designing their public spaces as strong, lively places.
• The Municipal Art Society of New York is a non-profit organization that has been devoted to creating a more livable New York and has advocated for an intelligent urban planning, design and preservation for more than a century. 
• The High Line is a former rail viaduct in western Manhattan that has been redesigned as a public park since 2006.

Philadelphia

• The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) works to foster regional cooperation in the greater Philadelphia region on issues such as transportation, land use, environmental protection and economic development.
• The Philadelphia Office of Sustainability aims to make Philadelphia the greenest city in the U.S. and has established sustainability targets in the areas of energy, environment, equity, economy and engagement.

Miscellaneous

• The Harvard Design School in Cambridge is a graduate school of Harvard University and brings together the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning under one roof.
• Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago was founded in 1945 as one of the first inclusive academic institutions. It is housed in the magnificent Auditorium Building.
• The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the most historically significant schools of art and design in the U.S. and is part of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the county's foremost art museums .
• Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (Berlin/Philadelphia) has been committed to working toward reconciliation and peace, as well as fighting racism, discrimination and social exclusion, through a long-term international peace service program as well as short-term summer camps since 1958.
• Metropolis Magazine focuses on design, architecture and urban design.
• Next American City is a national urban affairs magazine. It promotes socially, economically and environmentally sustainable practices in urban areas across the country and examines how and why cities are changing.
• Marathon running: Berlin (one of the fastest marathons), Boston (one of the oldest), Chicago (one of the most magnificent), New York (the biggest and one of the hardest)
• Mosbach (Germany), a small town near Heidelberg known for its half-timbered houses, the author's hometown.

Partner

• PlanVerkehr, a network of traffic planners, urban and landscape planners, architects and social scientists (website in German).

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