Articles by Admin

New insight into the North Atlantic weather system that unleashed "sting jets" in the 1987 storm that hit North Western Europe
Whereas most storms have a relatively even wind distribution, the research shows that sting jets -  localised bursts of wind desending from high altitude and reaching the ground at speeds as...
Social jetlag and obesity - research raises health concerns over 24 hour lifestyles
Humans have a natural body rythm that is kept in syncronisation by the daily succession of daylight and darkness. Surveys conducted by the Ludwig Maximillian University at Munchen suggest that...
English a minority language for 40 percent of London schoolchildren
EPSRC funded study points to rich diversity of language in London's schoolchildren with over 40 different languages found.  The research also associated high achievement with specific...
UDG Practice Project Award 2013: Call for Entries
Submissions are now being accepted for the Urban Design Group Practice Project Award for 2012/13. We're looking for projects which demonstrate the very best in innovative urban design...
UDG Executive Committee 2012/13: Call for nominations
The Urban Design Group's Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 20 June 2012 at 6pm in The Gallery, 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ. All members are welcome to attend. At the...
MyStreet Film Competition 2012
MyStreet is an exciting opportunity for you to tell your story about your area, through film. Share with the world where you are, who you are and how you live. The MyStreet annual competition has...
Urban Design Award Winners 2012
The Urban Design Group's annual awards event for 2012 took place on Wednesday 15 February in the prestigious surroundings of the Royal United Services Institute, 61 Whitehall, London. Hosted...
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne: PGT Excellence Awards 2012
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at University of Newcastle upon Tyne is proud to offer 20 PGT Excellence Awards for Home and EU students entering in September 2012.  The...
Urban Design - A bird's eye view
Stunning aerial photographs show what's going on in the world's back gardens... Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085752/Eye-sky-The-pretty-patterns-housing-developments-...
Songdo in South Korea leading charge to become city of the future
The metropolis of Songdo in South Korea could help older cities, like London, to upgrade. Cities are already home to half of the world’s 7billion population and that figure will rise to 70 per...
Eco-Cities: Global Survey 2011
This report introduces and summarises the findings of the Global Eco-Cities Survey 2011, including information about 174 recent eco-city initiatives. This builds on and expands the first global...
Urban Design Group Practice Award 2011
It is now the time of year when the UDG invites practices to submit an entry for our annual project award. Please see full submission guidelines here. The deadline for entries is Friday 8...
Urban Design Group Public Sector Award 2011
The Urban Design Group is always keen to give recognition to the important, creative and high quality work being done in urban design by public sector bodies, despite – and often...
UDG AGM, Annual Report & New Executive Committee
The Urban Design Group AGM was held at 6.15pm on Wednesday 15 June 2011 in The Gallery at 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ. At the meeting, the new Executive Committee was announced, as...
"Persons of nervous disposition" personality type linked to brain structure
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110210141247.htm
Obesity has doubled since 1980, major global analysis of risk factors reveals
An Imperial College study has shown that in 2008, more than one in ten of the world’s adult population was obese, with women more likely to be obese than men. An estimated 205 million men...
Half of fine air-borne particles in urban areas is caused by road dust
In towns, wear debris from vehicle brakes, tires, and the road surface itself, as well as the resuspension of "normal" dust, are responsible for more than half the fine particle emissions...
Enter the "Anthropocene" Era
A set of papers published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society  the authors of which contend that recent human activity, including stunning population growth, sprawling...
Having a Strong Community Protects Adolescents From Risky Health Behaviors
A Cornell University study has found that poor adolescents who live in communities with more social cohesiveness and control get some measure of protection; they’re less likely to smoke and be...
New planning law needed to cater for Wales’s unique needs
The National Assembly for Wales’s Sustainability Committee has published a report on its Inquiry on Planning in Wales  There are 30 recommendations made to the Assembly, including...
Scotland Planning Performance Statistics updated
Two thirds of applications are determined within two months, and just over 1/3rd of major applications within four months. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/02/01102327 It remains a...
Work continues to develop collision avoidance systems in cars
Review of recent technological developments in automobile control. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12338590
Consultation on Road Network Policy and Classification of Roads
Presumption is that roads will be unclassified, unless other circumstances apply, and that the classification of local roads should be devolved to local authorities. http://www.dft.gov.uk/...
Transport White Paper Published
Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon - Making Sustainable Local Transport Happen No viable alternative to the car, need to complement with sustainable transport modes,  and introduce sustainable...
Community Right to Challenge - Consultation
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/righttobuyconsultation
Community Right to Buy - Government Consultation
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/righttobuyconsultation
Regeneration to enable growth: What Government is doing in support of community-led regeneration
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/communityledregeneration
Updating the evidence base on English cities - final report
This report provides an update to the 2006 'State of the English Cities' report, which provided a comprehensive analysis of city performance http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/...
Traffic Noise Increases the Risk of Having a Stroke, Study Suggests
Research at the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen has indicated that for every 10 decibels of additional traffic noise the risk of having a stroke increased...
Lack of exposure to "dirt" may contribute to excess cases of immune related disease in women.
The “hygiene hypothesis” links the recent rise in incidence of asthma, allergies, and autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, with particular...
Juvenile crime best tackled by invovling the family and the community, not just the individual
Research by the University of Missouri has found that addressing juvenile crime on a one-to-one basis is expensive and ineffective.  http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2011/0127-...
Research shows infants understand social dominance
The research raises the question whether an understanding of social hierarchy might be hard-wired. http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/01/28/study.finds.presence.peers.heightens.teens.sensitivity....
Vitamin D deficiency alters lung growth and decreases lung function
Further research that points to the importance both of healthy diets, and a more outdoor lifestyle, with an attractive public realm being a key. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-01/ats-...
Study finds presence of peers heightens teens' sensitivity to rewards of a risk
Teens are five times more likely to be in a car accident when in a group than when driving alone, and they are more likely to commit a crime in a group.  Research using MRI scans has...
China to create giga-city of 42 million people
Plan is to allow the cities that ring the Pearl River, including Guanzhou and Donguan to merge into one vast conurbation the size of Wales, with a new network of railways and energy and pollution...
Language matching predicts success of relationships
Synchronising the style of speech, specifically in the use of "function words" that provide context for nouns and verbs, seems to predict how successful and enduring a relationship is...
Prospect of solar PV cell that uses full specturm of light
Scientists at Berkley Univsity (CA) have demonstrated a solar cell that responds to virtually the entire solar spectrum, that can be made using one of the semiconductor industry’s most common...