Exclusives

BLOG POST

Where have I been? I have no idea.<br /> <br /> Take this with a grain of salt, for what it's worth, etc., but the consultancy Jupiter Research now <a href="http://www.jupitermedia.com/corporate/releases/05.07.06-newjupresearch.html">says</a> that municipal WiFi programs ain't worth the money. Excerpt from the release:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>"Because the benefits of municipal wireless networks are inherently difficult to measure, and because it is too early to look at outcomes, examining breakeven thresholds provides the best reference point for decision-makers," stated Jay Horwitz, Senior Analyst at JupiterResearch. The report estimates that the average cost of building and maintaining a municipal wireless network is $150,000 per square mile over five years. According to the report, roughly 50% of current initiatives will fail to breakeven even if the benefit of the initiative is assumed to be $25 per user per month.</blockquote>

July 8 - Anonymous

FEATURE

July 5 - Samuel R. Staley

BLOG POST

<table width="600" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><br /> <tr><br /> <td><br /> <p>My colleague, Chris Haller, has done some great research on online mapping tools/techniques that can be used for community planning and community building.&nbsp; Here's some stuff he discovered on GeoTagging.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Since Google started its mapping service, based on xml and an API open to everyone, a lot of non-affiliated web applications have been emerging that bring GIS and online mapping closer to &ldquo;Joe Internetuser&rdquo;.</p>

July 1 - Ken Snyder

BLOG POST

Just an added note on personal rapid transit. Some years ago, Bruno Latour wrote "Aramis" which documents the French government's attempt to create a PRT system for Paris (later killed by the government itself). Written as a cross between a socialogical study and a mystery novel, its worth a look for those interested in the subject.

June 23 - Scott Page

BLOG POST

<img src="http://www.cities21.org/bc-ms01th.jpg" alt="Cities21 proposal for PRT at Microsoft Campus" align="right" />So Steve Raney, directory of the nonprofit transit advocacy group <a href="http://www.cities21.org/">Cities 21</a>, emailed me a pre-packaged blog entry, including images and a proposed blog title, about a proposal his organization is circulating for a personal rapid transit (PRT) system on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. The visualization on the site were, in fact, fascinating, and a great introduction to how well PRT can work as a transit alternative.

June 23 - Chris Steins

BLOG POST

In Adam's spirit of "tweaking" fellow bloggers, (Hi All) I'd like to emphasize Adam's last point - "Is it still a utility if no one utilizes it?"<br /> <br /> For all of the talk about municipal wireless, particularly in my hometown of Philadelphia, I've always been concerned about the ultimate use of the investment despite the fact I agree that anti-municipal broadband laws are detrimental to the flexibility of any City to serve their population. I'm reminded of an interview posted on <a href="http://www.muniwireless.com/archives/000635.html">Muniwireless</a>

June 23 - Scott Page

BLOG POST

Mostly I'm posting this just to maliciously tweak my fellow blogger Charles Kaylor. Hi, Charles!<br /> <br /> It seems that not everybody <em>wants</em> free WiFi downtown. At least, not everybody in Orlando, Florida, which according to the <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locwifi21062105jun21,0,6347590.story">Orlando Sentinel</a> is cranking down the valve on the urban teat. Or something.<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Sunday marked the last day of a pilot program that allowed those in certain downtown "hot spots" to access the Internet free of charge. The test program was initially supposed to last six months, but the city kept it going 17 months.<br /> <br /> City officials said the service worked well -- as many as 200 people using laptop or hand-held computers could log on at once to check e-mail or surf the Web from a wireless zone bordered by Orange Avenue, Eola Drive, and South and Robinson streets.<br /> <br /> The problem: Few people were interested.<br /> <br /> Despite daydreams of working and browsing the Internet while lounging on a bench at Lake Eola Park, only about 27 people a day, on average, accessed the free service. City officials said they couldn't continue to justify the $1,800-a-month expense.</blockquote>

June 21 - Anonymous

FEATURE

June 21 - Ryan Prince

FEATURE

Claims that the threat of gentrification are grossly exaggerated belie a fundamental misunderstanding of the real threat, the real victims, and the real consequences of inner-city redevelopment.

June 14 - Charles Shaw

BLOG POST

Less a cool application and more of an example of the power of information put in the hands of neighborhood groups. The <a href="http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/11180561.htm">Philadelphia Inquirer</a> a month or two back put together this interactive map showing the frequency of shootings in the City (which Charlie's map reminded me of). Illustrated like a topographical map, many neighborhoods reacted quite strongly to the information. The unfortunate trends, represented and placed on the front page, has further inhibited any ability to market specific neighborhoods as improving and/or attractive places to live.

June 7 - Scott Page

BLOG POST

BBC reports that government agencies and state-run enterprises in Brazil are <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4602325.stm">switching</a> from Microsoft Windows to open source alternatives. According to a source cited in the story, the primary motivation is economics. The Brazilian government estimates it could save $120m a year by switching and is considering making the use of open source software compulsory for government. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

June 6 - Abhijeet Chavan

FEATURE

June 6 - John Norquist

FEATURE

What does the architecture of the Star Wars universe represent? Jack Skelley offers an analysis of the various archetypes on display in the latest Star Wars movie.

May 31 - Jack Skelley

FEATURE

If we as planners don't do better in defining ourselves, we risk being seen as irrelevant and superfluous, writes Leonardo Vazquez. Do planners assure their own powerlessness by ignoring those in power?

May 23 - Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

BLOG POST

<img src="http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/06/images/feature_linux.gif" alt="Linux v. Microsoft" align="right" />This article, <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/06/issue/feature_linux.asp?trk=nl">How Linux Could Overthrow Microsoft</a>, in MIT's <em>Technology Review</em> caught me off-guard.<br /> <br /> The article is a fascinating overview of the open source and proprietary software models. It appears to be well-researched and written, and makes a compelling case for open source:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>...For all its flaws, the open-source model has powerful advantages. The deepest and also most interesting of these advantages is that, to put it grossly, open source takes the bullshit out of software. It severely limits the possibility of proprietary "lock-in"--where users become hostage to the software vendors whose products they buy...</blockquote>

May 18 - Chris Steins

BLOG POST

<img src="http://www.planning.org/leaderbios/images/farmer.gif" alt="Paul Farmer" align="right"/>American Planning AssociationExecutive Director Paul Farmer testifies before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Federalism and The Census that public investment based on unreliable data and analysis may constitute a hidden tax in the form of higher costs for infrastructure. <br /> <br /> Farmer's <a href="http://www.planning.org/features/pdf/testimony051005.pdf">compelling testimony</a> (PDF, 150KB) is based on his role as CEO of the <a href="http://www.planning.org/">APA</a>

May 17 - Chris Steins

FEATURE

Should a University invoke eminent domain in its plans for expansion? If so, what responsibility do developer-universities have to the community?

May 16 - Emily Schwarz

BLOG POST

Google's new <a href="http://maps.google.com/">mapping</a> feature is getting a lot of (deserved) attention for its easy access to satellite imagery (thanks to Google's judicious purchase of satellite mapping company <a href="http://www.keyhole.com/">Keyhole</a>). Microsoft tried much the same thing when it set up <a href="http://terraserver.microsoft.com">TerraServer</a>, but Google's version is easier and more fun to use. That probably doesn't surprise you.<br /> <br /> Anyway, here's another cool Google Map application: <a href="http://www.sprol.com">Sprol</a>

May 12 - Anonymous

BLOG POST

One of the best travelogues of pictures i've seen. <a href="http://www.escapelab.com.au/#">Escape Route</a> provides a unique method for organizing and viewing photos. The site also offers dphoto - a kind of ophoto with pizazz. This is one step away from what could be a great application for organizing and documenting change at the scale of a neighborhood, city and region. <br /> <br /> <img src='http://www.planetizen.com/tech/files//escapelab_02_01.jpg' alt='' />

May 9 - Scott Page

BLOG POST

<img src='http://www.planetizen.com/tech/files//coolspacelocater.jpg' alt='cool space locater' /><br /> <br /> One of students was kind enough to forward this to me. The <a href="http://www.coolspacelocator.com/index.html">Cool Space Locater</a> is designed to match innovative and creative firms to spaces that may not traditionally appeal to businesses looking for office space. I could have used this in Philadelphia when I really needed office space that wasn't overpriced nor in Center City. The only resource we really had was Craig's list as there are few coordinated resources for finding office spaces for rent - particularly small, non-traditional spaces.

May 5 - Scott Page