Exclusives
BLOG POST
URISA PPGIS Preliminary Program
The <a href="http://www.urisa.org/PPGIS/2004/Prelim/ppProgramAtAGlance.htm">Preliminary Program</a> has been published for the 3rd Annual URISA Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) Conference. <br /> <br /> The event will be held from July 18-20, 2004 at University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> The Conference features 5 tracks with presentations divided into the<br /> following subject areas:<br /> <br /> <li> Data, Organizational, and Policy Issues Affecting PPGIS Practice<br /> <li> PPGIS in Rural Settings and Small Communities<br /> <li> PPGIS Theory, Science, and Scientific Methods<br /> <li> PPGIS Practice and Implementation<br /> <br /> </li>
BLOG POST
2004 Geospatial Technology Report
The <a href="www.gita.org">Geospatial Information & Technology Association</a> has published their sixth annual survey of organizations implementing <br /> geospatial information technologies. While the full report is $145, <a href="http://www.gita.org/resources/geo_report/gtr_excerpt.pdf">a free excerpt from the Executive Summary</a> is available online. <br /> <br /> One interesting question posed by the report: Given the strong interest in "Web-based GIS, could the industry be preparing for a dramatic increase in outsourcing of GIS to third-party providers enabled by the Internet? The ASP (application service provider) model, which some longtime industry experts feel was ahead of its time, could well experience a serious boost from these developments.
BLOG POST
TransXML
Thanks to Adam Rogers at <a href="http://www.wired.com/">Wired</a> for this reference to the Transportation Research Board's participation solicitation for <a href="http://gulliver.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=3692">XML Schemas for Exchange of Transportation Data</a>. <br /> <br /> XML tells the web browser software about the structure and type of information it's displaying, distinguishing content from format by adding metadata.<br /> <br /> We predicted that planning specialties would begin developing their own XML schemas in a 1999 article for APA's Planning magazine, <a href="http://www.planning.org/planningpractice/1999/feb99.htm">'X' Marks the Spot</a>
BLOG POST
Information Environmentalism
An article in the Christian Science Monitor looks at the <strong>information environmentalism movement</strong> in an article titled "<a href="http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content/0510/p11s02-stct.html">E-serenity, now!</a>" [May 10, 2004].<br /> <br /> <img src="http://www.planetizen.com/tech/files//keyboard.jpg" alt="keyboard" align="right" /><br /> <br /> <blockquote>"The newest polluters are not chemical manufacturers leaking toxins into the air. Neither are they logging conglomerates clearing ancient forests nor avaricious developers turning wetlands into strip malls. The newest polluters are in your pocket, atop your desk, or clogging your telephone lines with streams of digital effluent."</blockquote>
BLOG POST
Accenture's New e-Gov Report
Accenture has just released a new e-Government report (May, 2004), <a href="http://www.accenture.com/xdoc/en/industries/government/gove_egov_value.pdf">e-Government Leadership: High Performance, Maximum Value</a> (PDF, 3MB). <br /> <br /> This is the fifth year that Accenture has surveyed international e-Gov efforts, and they report that they have found five overall trends: eGovernment advances are diminishing; eGovernment leaders are reaping tangible savings; Adoption of e-gov remains a challenge; The challenge of integrating e-gov is changing; and Personalization is emerging.
FEATURE
Why The Field Of Planning Should Revise Its Goals
The American Planning Association and the planning profession as a whole have lost their way. Constant compromise has led to mediocrity. Now it's time to get re-focused.
FEATURE
Transportation, Land Use and Economies of Scale
While planners strive to enhance the transportation-land use configuration to minimize travel and transportation infrastructure, the seemingly unrelenting movement toward larger-scale businesses and services may be counteracting these initiatives.
BLOG POST
Grist Magazine: Control-Alt-Recycle
Grist Magazine offers <a href="http://www.gristmagazine.com/possessions/possessions040604.asp?source=rss">tips for environment-friendly computing</a>.<br /> <br /> <blockquote>U.S. consumers are being cheated out of the chance to buy the greenest possible computers, according to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and other environmental groups that have joined forces on the Computer TakeBack Campaign. </blockquote>
FEATURE
In Defense of the Threatened Hope VI Program
Grants dedicated to revitalizing distressed public housing are needed to correct flawed Federal housing policies of the past.
FEATURE
Top Ten Planning Issues Of 2003
From congestion charging to Wal-Mart's impact, PLANetizen editors outline the top 10 planning issues from 2003.
FEATURE
Too High a Density Can Also Promote Sprawl
Densification is often promoted as a solution to sprawl, but too much density too quickly can also backfire. Adequately implementing a smart growth strategy involves positive publicity, family-centric environments, and motivated developers.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
