Planners in Acton, Massachusetts used Second Life as a pr and outreach tool to engage citizens in planning a key commercial area.
Local planners worked with Justin Hollander of Tufts University and Ann Sussman of openNeighborhood to organize and create the Second Life planning process.
From a final report prepared by Tufts on the project:
"The [Second Life] model allowed users to explore the existing conditions of Kelley's Corner and fly over the neighborhood, while at the same time interacting with other Acton citizens who may also be logged onto the site simultaneously. After exploring the virtual model, users were invited to visit the Village Design Center, a futuristic looking structure placed at the edge of the neighborhood by the OpenNeighborhood team."
Read the full story: Second Life Offers New Life
Friday Fun: Touring 12 Famous Museums from Home
Most museums are closed during the pandemic, but you can still visit them virtually from the comfort of your home thanks to Google Arts & Culture.
Jane's Walks Adjusts to Social Distancing
The Jane's Walks festival take place the first weekend of May in cities all over the world. In 2020, social distancing will require a different format for the citizen-led group walk event.
The Holodeck is Real
Duke's Pratt School of Engineering has created a theater with projections on all four walls plus the ceiling and floor to create an immersive experience not unlike Star Trek's "holodeck" for architects to show clients their work before it is built.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority