Much has been made about the democratizing and geographic obliterating effects of Twitter, however new research shows how parochial Twitter's paths of communication actually are.
Speaking with host Steve Inskeep on NPR's Morning Edition program, Shankar Vedantam reports on new research on the pathways of tweets conducted by sociologist Barry Wellman at the University of Toronto. The results of his work, when mapped, look surprisingly similar to a map of airline hubs.
According to Vedantam, "the real world powerfully predicts what kind of connections we have in the virtual world. So if you are living in New York, you're much more likely to have followers in London than you are likely to have followers in a small town in the United States....There's a lot of people who have similar kinds of professions or similar interests who live in those kinds of cities. But this really calls into question the notion that Twitter is a truly democratic medium."
Vedantam concludes, "Tom Freedman wrote this book saying the world is flat, and what Wellman is basically finding is that, no, the world isn't flat. The world is actually very lumpy."
FULL STORY: Why Twitter Ties Resemble Airline Hub Maps
Technologies for Understanding Cities
Researchers are examining technologies that can aid in understanding many aspects of our cities, from how citizens interact in plan making, where residents use social media, and how to understand our changing communities.
The World's Biggest Tweeters
Richard Florida looks at the results of a recent study of the world cities that tweet the most. While the top city might surprise you, it didn't surprise Florida's colleague at the University of Toronto.
Is Twitter Still an Effective Planning Tool?
Twitter has been a daily dose of drama and upheaval ever since Elon Musk offered to pay over $40 billion to buy the social media platform. Media outlets and public transit agencies had been abandoning the social media platform—should planners?
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
