Ultimate Planning-Tech Blog Marketing

So Steve Raney, directory of the nonprofit transit advocacy group Cities 21, 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.

1 minute read

June 23, 2005, 10:29 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Cities21 proposal for PRT at Microsoft CampusSo Steve Raney, directory of the nonprofit transit advocacy group Cities 21, 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.



Here's the blog post he proposed:


Cool PRT visualization for Microsoft Campus: Microsoft is growing their 30,000-worker Redmond campus by another 12,000 workers. Bettercampus.org proposed PRT for a better solution for Microsoft campus expansion. PRT is a packet switched people mover, faster than a car. It solves the transit "last mile" problem on campus, making transit and carpooling more effective; thus, reduces traffic congestion. http://www.bettercampus.org/ . Animation available in: WVM, DIVX, RM versions, with bittorrent. A high res aerial photo with the system layout is also available.





What was even more fascinating to me was the degree of marketing sophistication Steve demonstrated. There must be a name for the concept of sending bloggers fun, appropriate, easy-to-blog content. Of course, I suppose this approach has the potential to backfire horribly if I noticed that other planning bloggers included exactly the same post.



Now, what are the chances of PRT in Los Angeles?



Chris Steins

Chris Stines is Planetizen's former Editor and the founder of Urban Insight, a leading digital agency. Chris has 25 years of experience in technology consulting and urban planning and has served as a consultant to public sector state, county, and local agencies, Fortune 500 private firms, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

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