In the Philadelphia region, residents of wealthier neighborhoods will be more likely to work from home in the future, thus altering travel patterns and transit usage, according to a new mapping project powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
"Students from Penn State University's Nittany AI Alliance, in partnership with the City of Philadelphia, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Accenture, have developed an AI-driven algorithm to illustrate the 'teleworking risk' of census tracts across the Philadelphia region," according to an article by Kristin Musulin.
"The algorithm uses American Community Survey data and historical ridership data from SEPTA to indicate the percentage of jobs that can be done by telework in each tract, then displays those percentages in a heat map," according to Musulin.
The interactive SEPTA Future Telework Forecasting Tool allows for layers like bus and train routes to be added to the heat map. The creators of the map hope that the findings of the study can help planners prepare for a future that includes a lot more telework—and all the land use and transportation implications such a shift would entail.
One key characteristic the project reveals about "telework risk," or the potential for large numbers of people to work from home instead of commuting into offices and other workplaces, is that wealthier areas are more likely to see large numbers of people working from home.
Read the full story: PSU team maps Philadelphia's telework trends
Transit Riders Skipping Mondays
The new commute normal includes far fewer transit rides on Mondays, reflecting new hybrid work schedules that gives workers the options of choosing days to come into the office.
Census Bureau: Remote Work Tripled Between 2019 and 2021
The percentage of Americans working primarily from home tripled to over 27 million people during the pandemic. Will the popularity of remote work last?
Post-Pandemic Transit Planning: A New Era for Commuter Rail
Ridership on the nation's commuter rail services has plummeted more than other forms of transit during the pandemic. Serving a more affluent, professional ridership, commuter rail is looking more likely to face long-term cuts after the pandemic.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
Alabama scores up to $2.5 billion federal loan for largest infrastructure project in state’s history
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project aims to ease congestion at Alabama’s worst bottleneck.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
Despite court ruling, Trump is keeping nearly all wind projects in the US on hold
At least 110 wind energy projects have not heard from the government since a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's freeze on wind turbine clearances was likely illegal.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello