A new app from the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation culls publicly available information to give you a graphically pleasing "cultural and demographic snapshot of your surroundings," writes Ariel Schwartz.
Sitegeist is the name of the fascinating new app from Sunlight that was produced in consultation with design firm IDEO and with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The third in Sunlight's series of National Data Apps (Sunlight Health and Upwardly Mobile are the other two), the app draws on free APIs such as the U.S. Census Bureau and Yelp! to provide data on such topics as local age distribution, political contributions, average rent, how people commute, and popular local spots.
Although the app might not "tell you much you don’t already know about your neighborhood," try taking it for a spin somewhere you haven't been. As Schwartz notes, "Like Walk Score, it’s another tool in the arsenal for prospective renters, buyers, and neighborhood explorers."
FULL STORY: Get A Demographic And Cultural Snapshot Of Your Surroundings With This App

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

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)