Social Media

Architecture Critic Alexandra Lange, in her first op-ed for Dezeen, calls on architects to make better use of social media than just as a tool for shameless self-promotion.

January 9, 2014 - Dezeen

Parking lots across the U.S. are designed to accommodate the crowds of cars participating in the busiest shopping day of the year. By asking his readers to capture images of underutilized lots last Friday, Chuck Marohn set out to expose the fallacy.

December 2, 2013 - Strong Towns

The social media company Pinterest has a new home, in a converted 45,000-square-foot warehouse in San Francisco.

November 17, 2013 - Dezeen

Driven by an explosion of online tools, cities across the country are looking beyond the traditional public hearing to rethink how to increase citizen involvement in decision-making and reshape the relationship between citizens and government.

October 11, 2013 - Governing

A new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund looks at how innovations in technology and social networking are changing the country's transportation landscape, and contributing to the decline in driving.

October 2, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Looking to leverage cheap and easy social media tools to meet your citizen engagement mandate? Read. This. Now.

August 7, 2013 - PlaceShakers

A new study from the Pew Research Center looks at the way digital technology is changing civic engagement. Nick Judd digs into the results and pulls out four intriguing trends.

May 9, 2013 - Tech President

As they move into positions of leadership in their communities and in the public sector, a generation once labelled as "slackers" is helping to change the relationship between governments and their citizens, reports Rob Gurwitt.

May 5, 2013 - Governing

With the right approach, social media can expedite the exchange of information between stakeholders, facilitate participatory planning, and build better places. Two case studies offer insight for using social media to connect with communities.

May 3, 2013 - Jessica Hsu

Are we growing more connected, yet further and further apart? And how does this bode for the resilience of the communities we share? Scott Doyon finds promise as of yet unfulfilled.

January 18, 2013 - PlaceShakers

During and after Sandy, transportation workers had the responsibility of informing riders of changing conditions and schedules. Ray Rivera compares the different communication approaches of New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road.

December 19, 2012 - The New York Times

For the last 30 years, China has led the world in economic growth at a hefty environmental price. Widespread protests have prompted the cabinet of China to mandate a "social risk assessment" for industrial projects, reports Keith Bradsher.

November 16, 2012 - The New York Times

Ride share websites and mobile apps take the guesswork out of finding a ride and move social networking offline and onto the open road, fueling a revival of car-pooling, reports Mickey Meece.

July 10, 2012 - The New York Times

Tyler Falk reports on new data released by Facebook, mapping the top 5 "social landmarks" in 25 cities from Seoul to São Paulo.

June 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Sarah Kathleen Peck speaks with Amanda Walter and Holly Berkley about their new book, "Social Media in Action," the challenges different design professions have in communicating their work, and the ways in which new technologies are making it easier.

June 8, 2012 - Metropolis POV Blog

After aiding in the dissolution of Egypt's authoritarian regime, social media is being enlisted to tackle a more formidable obstacle: easing its capital city's traffic, reports Noel King.

May 22, 2012 - Good

Michael M. Grynbaum reports on NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's dubious relationship with social media, and his unease with its tendency to shift the public discourse away from long-term thinking.

March 25, 2012 - The New York Times

Nearly half of consumers now report that they look for local business information using the Internet, more than any other source.

December 23, 2011 - Pew Research Center

With the proliferation of new media planning practitioners have new ways to find out about the continuing work of planning faculty members who have retired. Not all of them blog of course, but the list below demonstrates some of the variety of these efforts.

October 24, 2011 - Ann Forsyth

As readers of this blog will know I encourage people to find out about planning programs in multiple ways. Reading the work of faculty is a crucial first step as is reading the program’s web site. Visiting open houses or connecting with students (programs often set up some kind of chat space around admission time) are also options. Increasingly schools are using multiple forms of social media to reach current students and alums providing a useful window onto the programs for prospective students. This list highlights a few of these sources used specifically by planning programs.

October 22, 2011 - Ann Forsyth