It wasn't easy, but a broad swath of Cambridge, Massachusetts will now have free Wi-Fi Internet. The effort required a partnership between several institutions and organizations to come to fruition.
"Through a unique collaboration among MIT, Google, Boston Properties, the City of Cambridge, and the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA), an open and free-of-charge Wi-Fi network is now available in the Kendall Square area and the Newtowne Court and Washington Elms public housing neighborhoods," according to an article by the MIT News Service.
The project is three years in the making, with the "intricate work" of "building out fiber networks to provide connectivity to outdoor wireless access points" as a significant challenge to the finished project.
Read the full story: New Kendall Wi-Fi supports Kendall Square and nearby residential areas
London Underground Gets Wireless Connection
A six month trial will bring Wi-Fi Internet access into test locations within the London tube system, part of an effort by the city to bring Internet access to the entire system in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The Challenge of Municipal Wi-Fi
This article from Government Technology looks at the idea of municipal Wi-Fi Internet access and why it has struggled to take off.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority