Smart City

Large silver pole on street corner in LA, nearly same height as surrounding three-story buildings.

NYC's Link5G Towers Face Neighborhood Opposition

More than 2,000 32-foot towers are coming to New York City street corners to improve 5G connectivity throughout the city, and residents aren’t happy, citing incompatible design and visual distraction as a threat to safety.

June 11, 2024 - New York Times

An old man crosses a one-way street in the foreground, with both sides of the streets lined with cars facing away from the camera and brick buildings.

Hoboken's Curbs Are Going Digital

Hoboken, New Jersey, is leveraging technology to up its curb management game with a digital streetscape map that will allow real-time demand monitoring.

June 10, 2024 - Government Technology

A hot springs in a low-lying desert area, with mountains in the distant background.

Blockchains Inc Wanted a Massive ‘Smart City’ in Nevada but Couldn’t Muster the Water Rights

California Forever isn’t the only tech-investor-driven mega-project to make news in recent weeks. Blockchains Inc had designs on remaking a massive swath of land near Reno until water got in the way.

September 19, 2023 - The Nevada Independent

Map with Peachtree Corners label

A Smart City Quietly Grows in Georgia

Peachtree Corners is putting the ‘smart city’ model into practice, taking a methodical approach to introducing new technology and autonomous devices.

October 12, 2022 - Politico

Still image of EPCOT city concept from Disney's 1966 promotional film

EPCOT: The Original 'Smart City'

What can today’s futurists learn from Disney’s unrealized utopia?

October 7, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of proposed Love Park, Toronto.

Quayside 2.0 Rejects the ‘Smart City’

In a reversal from Sidewalk Labs’ now-defunct tech-heavy proposal, Toronto’s new plan for the waterfront development known as Quayside emphasizes greenery and nature.

July 1, 2022 - Technology Review

Aerial view of crosswalk with digital 'smart' crosswalk concept

Behind the Allure of the ‘Smart City’

The glamour of digital technology can obscure the hard work of building healthy, sustainable cities.

June 28, 2022 - Technology Review

Boston, Massachusetts

Opinion: High Tech Won't Save Cities

After some notable disappointments in the development of 'smart city' projects, experts are increasingly critical of the movement to use tech to solve urban problems.

February 3, 2022 - Treehugger

Toronto Waterfront

The Four Design Teams Shortlisted for Quayside Redevelopment

After Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs dropped the project, Toronto is evaluating other proposals for redeveloping their waterfront.

November 1, 2021 - The Toronto Star

Smart City

'A City is Not a Computer:' Why 'Smart Cities' Fail

The 'smart city' concept fails to take into account the necessary slowness of democracy and the unpredictability of a city's human inhabitants.

August 18, 2021 - Fast Company

Toyota Future City

Toyota Working on the Smartest City Yet, Built From Scratch

Checking in with Toyota's plans for an interconnected smart "city of the future" means considering how their approach might differ from other attempts at similar projects.

November 8, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Smart City

For Success, Smart Cities Need Stakeholder Engagement

Smart cities technologies are not going to lead to the right outcomes unless end users are recognized as integral players in the planning process.

August 27, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Toronto Waterfront

Waterfront Toronto Greenlights Most of Sidewalk Labs' Quayside Master Plan

An evaluation committee made up of Waterfront Toronto staff has given a green light for the Sidewalk Labs master plan for Toronto to proceed to the next stages of planning.

February 21, 2020 - The Star

Smart City

Pulling Back the Curtain on the Smart City

Technology is infiltrating every aspect of our lives, but, according to this article, we shouldn't underestimate the nefarious role it plays in urban spaces.

November 22, 2019 - Real Life

Toronto Waterfront

Master Plan for Quayside 'Smart City' Released by Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto

The long-awaited master plan for Quayside in Toronto was released to the public today.

June 24, 2019 - Toronto Star

Smart City Apps and Intelligent Lighting Controls from Current by GE

San Diego Adding 4,200 IoT Sensors to City Streets

Details emerged this week of a massive "Internet of Things" (IoT) project in San Diego, California.

November 17, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Bikeshare and murals

Columbus Shares its Smart City Playbook

The city of Columbus, Ohio is sharing some of what it has learned about becoming a smart city.

November 7, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Smart City Master Plan Announced Near Boston

"Smart city" plans are being announced at a steady clip. The latest master planned "smart city" proposal comes for a former U.S. Navy-owned site near Boston.

December 4, 2017 - Dezeen

Microsoft

Bill Gates Buys 25,000 Acres in Arizona for a Master Planned 'Smart City'

The new community of Belmont will join Arcosanti as another attempt at turning Arizona desert into the next evolution of human habitation. This time, one of the richest men in the world is behind the plans.

November 13, 2017 - KPNX

Caution

For or Against Smart Cities: Where Should Planners Stand?

Are we using technology to plan for utopias? Or are we luddites who are ignoring an inevitable future? Should we be for our against smart cities? Two recent books take on this debate.

February 19, 2014 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

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.

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.