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Seattle Suburb Has its Eyes on License Plates

In the Seattle suburb of Medina, security cameras are now capturing all vehicle driving into the city, and using license plate recognition software to check cars and drivers for criminal records.
18 September 2009 - 7:00am
The Seattle Times
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Watching Where the Water Goes

Monitoring how much water is diverted from rivers and pumped from wells is notoriously difficult. But now, researchers have developed a new way to track usage.
15 September 2009 - 8:00am
The Washington Post

New York City's Data Collection Chopped in Half

New York City has for decades collected data about itself through more than 2,500 statistical indicators. But now, that number has been chopped down to about 1,200. Officials say it creates a streamlined look at the city, but others call it a loss.
11 September 2009 - 6:00am
The New York Times

Wikiplanning a City

As part of their Envision 2040 process, the City of San José is soliciting user input through a web-based wiki.
10 September 2009 - 12:00pm
Government Technology

Become an Unscrupulous Developer, Virtually

Monopoly: City Streets melds the board game with Google Maps gives you the chance to buy the world's streets and develop your dream project on them (in competition with other players, of course.)
9 September 2009 - 7:00am
The Guardian U.K.

U.S. Oil Consumption On The Decline...Permanently

For political, technological, and even demographic as well as economic reasons, don't expect American oil consumption to increase over 2007 levels. $3 gas is here to stay, and the days of the petrol-gulping SUVs and guzzlers may be numbered.
8 September 2009 - 1:00pm
Barrons
Robert Goodspeed

An iPhone in the City

Mon, 09/07/2009 - 05:37

What's better than Twitter in the city? An iPhone. With a connection to the Internet, built-in camera, location-awareness, 3-access accelerometer and colorful display, the Apple iPhone has become much more than a mobile phone: it's a sophisticated mobile computing platform. Combine this technology with a library of thousands of programs and growing ecosystem of developers, the iPhone is powerful and versatile tool to transform how people interact with their surroundings.

A growing number of iPhone apps are taking advantage of the phone's functionality to allow people to navigate, measure, observe, and interact with cities in new ways. This post describes some I have come across for e-government, urban sensing and interaction, and navigation. First, a caveat: I don't actually own one of the devices myself and haven't tested the apps (yet). I've certainly missed many, so leave your favorites in the comments below.

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Digital Experiences in Public Spaces On the Rise

The rise of smart mobile technology is increasing the demand for digital interactivity in public spaces. Marketers and artists are obliging.
5 September 2009 - 1:00pm
Advertising Age

A 'Feasible' Engineering Solution to Global Warming

A new study from the UK Royal Society has determined that geo-engineering techniques are technically feasible approaches to address high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the resulting global warming.
2 September 2009 - 8:00am
BBC

Broadband Stimulus Grant Requests Flood In

The application period has opened for federal stimulus grants to fund broadband Internet access projects in underserved areas. The response has been overwhelming.
31 August 2009 - 9:00am
USA Today
Ken Snyder

No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded

Sun, 08/30/2009 - 05:32

Yogi Berra said that.  I also recall someone saying at some conference on smart growth or new urbanism: the more cars sharing the road, the more people get frustrated (hence all the car ads of people driving with no other cars in sight), while the more people on a well designed sidewalk, the more we tend to like it. 

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Creating an Open City Can Be Cheap and Easy

The City of Nanaimo, British Columbia is a leader in the open data and open government movement, according to this post from the Creative Class Exchange. Getting there is easier and cheaper than many might think.
28 August 2009 - 8:00am
Creative Class Exchange

To Share or Not to Share? The Great Transit Data Debate

Some transit agencies keep it under wraps, while others share it widely. Three cities in the U.S. show how the availability of transit arrival data is a wild frontier.
27 August 2009 - 11:00am
CNET
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Entering a World of Augmented Reality

Smart phones are bringing about a new realm of "augmented" reality -- where digital data can be visually overlaid into real life environments in real-time.
27 August 2009 - 9:00am
Wired

California's Debate Over What Constitutes Renewable Energy

The goal is to increase California's use of clean, renewable sources of electricity so as to meet the state's climate protection goal. Two bills are being debated that will require that 33% of electricity sources be composed of renewables by 2020.
25 August 2009 - 1:00pm
The Sacramento Bee
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Military Mapping the Threats and Advantages of Urban Areas

The U.S. Military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is investing in a program that looks to create 3D imagery of urban areas and the common spaces and objects that could pose threats or provide advantages to military operations.
24 August 2009 - 5:00am
CNET

The Challenges of City-Built Information Networks

When Lafayette, Louisiana set out to build a high-speed fiber optic data network, legal challenges caused major delays. Other cities are likely to experience the same issues as they try to expand their information infrastructure.
23 August 2009 - 5:00am
Governing

Hi-Tech Highway Coming To North Carolina

Groundbreaking for the nation's most technologically highway, a toll road, occurred on August 12 in North Carolina. Attended by Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, the 19 mile road will have no toll booths. It is expected to open 2011.
18 August 2009 - 1:00pm
The Fast Lane
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