Google

Sidewalk Labs Launches Urban Technology Blog

Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs announced the launch of Sidewalk Talk — a blog and forum for urbanists and technologists to converse and collaborate.

April 15, 2016 - Medium

Meet Flow: Google's Transportation Data Revolution

Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs is readying a product called Flow to help cities and counties make the most of transportation data. The news is another step along the path to a future version of transportation.

March 29, 2016 - The New York Times

Food Cart

Can Google's 'Popular Times' Feature Change the Way We Plan?

Google's Popular Times can contribute toward better car parking and street planning, but it also has the potential to radically change how we plan.

March 19, 2016 - Medium

How Process Stops Change in San Francisco

San Francisco loves process and fears change. It's costing residents in more ways than housing, laments David Prowler, former Special Assistant to Mayor Willie Brown.

March 14, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Top Priority for Federal Railroad Administration: Reducing Crossing Crashes

Vehicle crashes at grade crossings have emerged as a top priority for Sarah Feinberg, the new Federal Railroad Administrator. Fatalities at rail crossings in 2014 increased by 15 percent from 2013.

March 8, 2016 - Progressive Railroading

Mountain View Breaks Rank—Approves Large Amount of New Residential Land Uses

According to a new plan approved by the city of Mountain View, developers could now add a large amount of dense housing on the doorstep of Google's headquarters.

March 8, 2016 - Vox

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Google's Self-Driving Car Had a Big Week

Breaking news came in a pair this week for Google's self-driving car technology.

February 11, 2016 - Quartz

Self-Driving Car

Google and Ford Partner-Up to Develop Self-Driving Cars

Google and Ford have partnered to bring together their software know-how with their auto building know-how as the launch of autonomous cars moves one step closer.

December 28, 2015 - Yahoo! Autos

The Time the Google Self-Driving Car Got Pulled Over for Driving Too Slowly

Google's response to its self-driving car getting pulled over by police in California: " "Driving too slowly? Bet humans don't get pulled over for that too often."

November 15, 2015 - San Jose Mercury News

Google Self-Driving Car

Humans Faulted in Autonomous Vehicle Accidents

Reports from the California DMV blame human drivers for minor collisions involving Google's self-driving cars. Drive carefully in Mountain View.

October 28, 2015 - Techradar

View of solar panels on roofs

Google Debuts Rooftop Solar Mapping Tool

Currently in its early stages, Project Sunroof tracks how much sun every roof receives. Then it estimates the costs and savings if rooftop solar were installed. Right now, the tool only covers the Bay Area, Fresno, and Boston.

August 31, 2015 - Vox

Abbot Kinney

Big Money Floods Venice Beach

Is a gentrified Venice Beach still Venice Beach? With median home prices topping $1.4 million, the area's eclectic characters can't afford to stay. Investors and the tech industry say the change is only natural.

August 28, 2015 - The Washington Post

Google Celebrates the Birth of the Traffic Light

If you opened Google to do a search on Wednesday, you'd see an image (the "doodle") of a traffic light and six Model-T era cars spelling out the company's name. It was honoring the 101-year anniversary of the birth of the electric traffic light.

August 7, 2015 - Time

Photo of google sign outside of google cafeteria

Why Google's 'Sidewalk Labs' Is Such a Big Deal

Earlier in June, Google announced the creation of an "urban innovation company" called Sidewalk Labs. One writer explains the genesis of the company as well as its potential for the future of how cities operate.

June 25, 2015 - Pacific Standard

A First: Private Sector Prepares Regional Bike Plan, Backed with Cash

There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.

June 22, 2015 - Guardian Cities

Google Headquarters

Google Launches its First Smart Cities Company: Sidewalk Labs

Google, already one of the most pervasive technology providers of urban experiences everywhere, has increased its bet on the smart cities movement.

June 14, 2015 - Cities for the Future

Friday Eye Candy: 'Time-Lapse Mining' Reveals a Changing Planet

Someone's done the hard work of finding, sorting, and stitching together millions of photos from the Internet to create animated portraits of the evolution of places.

May 22, 2015 - The Verge

Google's Loss is LinkedIn's Gain in Silicon Valley

The city of Mountain View chose to allot most of the redevelopment rights in its much sought-after North Bayshore area not to the city's largest employer and taxpayer but to LinkedIn's more conventional proposal.

May 19, 2015 - The New York Times - Bits

Photo of google sign outside of google cafeteria

Silicon Valley Cities' Complex Relationship with Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley isn't just an industry. It's also a place. Actually, a series of places. The dozen or so cities that make up the valley are increasingly wary of the corporate behemoths that are constantly expanding within their city limits.

May 18, 2015 - Next City

Office Park

Tech Giants Bank on Growth, Acquire More Space

To provide room for long-term expansion, companies like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn are buying up even more Bay Area real estate. Their flush cash reserves have them nudging out the traditional development and investment crowd.

March 24, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.