Sarah Kathleen Peck speaks with Amanda Walter and Holly Berkley about their new book, "Social Media in Action," the challenges different design professions have in communicating their work, and the ways in which new technologies are making it easier.
Walter and Berkley are bullish on the ways in which social media can support the design professions. According to the authors, "Today, telling and sharing stories couldn't be easier and digital
formats are great for visually rich topics like design. Social media
loves visual content. Videos are shared more frequently and posts
(whether on a blog, on Facebook or LinkedIn) with striking images
attract more readers. Once you start telling your stories in social
media, your readers will let you know (like, share, comment on, etc.)
the content they like the best – pay attention to what content engages
your audience and you'll hone your story telling skills."
Developed exclusively for architecture, engineering, planning and environmental consulting firms,"Social Media in Action" is intended to help firms explore why and how they can use social media to support their practice, and provides examples of real firms that are using technology to their advantage.
"Social media can help advance public acceptance and even drive demand
for high-quality design in our cities – and even the smallest firm can
affect these shifts. PlaceMakers is a 7-person urban planning and design firm that uses its PlaceShakers blog and Facebook
page to embrace the myriad of public stakeholder types through a dialog
about great communities. Theirs is an excellent example of how firms
can create a real following of clients and influencers by talking about
what the topics that they can relate to. These tools effectively promote
the firm even though PlaceMakers doesn't use them to promote themselves
directly."
FULL STORY: The Need for Communication

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie