If you're obsessed with trivia and maps, prepare to lose some hours.
Jenny Xie shares word of a new game from Google Maps that will test your knowledge of place-based trivia. Here's how Xie describes the game, called Smarty Pins: "In Smarty Pins, you start with a total of 1,000 miles in the bank. Each trivia question will ask you pin down a specific location on a map; the number of miles you’re off by gets subtracted from your total… he goal, of course, is to answer as many questions as possible before your miles run out."
My test run required answers to questions from Mexico to Western Europe. Stateside questions zoomed ranged from a view of the whole country to a more regional view inside the Delaware Valley. One word of caution" make sure you pin is placed on the right location before you submit your answer.
Read the full story: Become Instantly Addicted to This Google Maps Geography Trivia Game
Children in 55 countries are redesigning their cities in Minecraft
A U.N.-backed program lets students and community members reimagine sites in their neighborhoods in the game — and translate them into real-life buildings.
10 urbanist video games that aren’t Sim City
Sim City may have inspired an entire generation of urban planners — but these games have perfected the art of city-building simulation.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
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.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello