For good reason, Coca-Cola is better known for supplying the world with high-calorie sugary drinks than empowering residents of poor countries. By partnering with Qualcomm Technologies to produce the "EKOCENTER" kiosk, that may soon change.
"The Coca-Cola Company plans to erect 150 kiosks in 20 countries that will offer water, electricity and Internet connections; they may also sell Coke and other products," reports Donald G. McNeil Jr.
“We’re calling it a downtown in a box,” said Serena Levy, a company spokeswoman.
An article on Coca-Cola's "Unbottled" blog says that "[e]ach EKOCENTER will offer a locally tailored mix of products, services and resources, including safe drinking water, electricity, wireless communication, refrigerated vaccination storage, health education, and other functionality to jump-start entrepreneurship opportunities and community development."
FULL STORY: Coca-Cola Plans Kiosks With Water and Internet

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)