After a pilot in Ann Arbor, Ford Motor Company is expanding its City Insights Platform to six new cities:
"After a successful pilot in Ann Arbor, MI, Ford is expanding a program that uses advanced software tools and data visualization to help cities understand urban problems to six new partners," reports Jason Plautz for Smart Cities Dive.
In a post on Medium, Ford describes the program, known as the City Insights Platform, as a tool for leveraging parking, transit, traffic, safety, and Census data to allow planners to visualize a city's entire mobility "ecosystem." The platform also allows exploration and testing of potential solutions.
"With Ann Arbor, Ford used safety, parking and transit data to create an interactive model of the city, complete with buildings, to test potential mobility solutions before implementing them. Data from connected vehicles helped provide a real-time look at congestion and traffic flow," according to Plautz.
According to Ford, the pilot in Ann Arbor was supported by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, the Downtown Development Authority, Ann Arbor SPARK, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Austin, Indianapolis, Detroit, Miami, Pittsburgh, and Grand Rapids are the six cities gaining access to the platform.
FULL STORY: Ford to expand data visualization platform to 6 new cities
Michigan DOT Nixes Ann Arbor Highway Expansion
In response to public feedback, the Michigan Department of Transportation is no longer considering options to widen U.S. 23 on Ann Arbor’s east side.
Ann Arbor Calls for Highway Bus Service
The city council voted unanimously in support of a plan to build more transit and park-and-ride options rather than expand a highway with more car lanes.
Ann Arbor Considers Bike Lane Blocking ‘Bounty’
The proposal would award people who report blocked bike lanes a percentage of resulting tickets. Critics say the city must address the underlying reasons for blocked bike lanes first.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.
Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.
Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions