Jacob Aron reports on the promising new software developed by an international group of researchers that can recognize "what makes Paris look like Paris."
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and INRIA in Paris have written software that can recognize the unique architectural features that can distinguish one city from another.
According to Aron, "The researchers selected 12 cities from across the globe and analysed
10,000 Google Street View images from each. Their algorithm searches
for visual features that appear often in one location but infrequently
elsewhere...It turns out that ornate windows and balconies, along with unique blue-and-green street signs,
characterise Paris, while columned doorways, Victorian windows and
cast-iron railings mark London out from the rest. In the US, long
staircases and bay windows mean San Francisco, and gas-powered street
lamps are scattered throughout Boston."
According to the researchers, "The discovered visual elements can also support a variety of
computational geography tasks, such as mapping architectural
correspondences and influences within and across cities, finding
representative elements at different geo-spatial scales, and
geographically-informed image retrieval."
The team will present their work
at the SIGGRAPH graphics conference in Los Angeles in August.
FULL STORY: Software knows what makes Paris look like Paris
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.