Technology

"Intelligent cities" is picking up steam as the new buzzword in planning and a potentially game-changing way of using data to drive decisions. But we need to be sure we don't lose the human intelligence in planning.

February 13, 2011 - Next American City

A new free online tool, developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology for the US Green Building Council, adds the effect of transportation and indirect emissions to the sustainable building equation.

December 28, 2010 - Chicago Tribune

A new government-sponsored 'HazeCam' provides a running feed of downtown air pollution, with the aim of prompting local residents to reconsider their commuting habits.

December 1, 2010 - Cleveland Plain-Dealer

By providing real-time data about what actually happens in on-street spaces, the sensors can help enforce parking laws, move toward smart and flexible curbside pricing, and prevent cruising and traffic congestion.

November 1, 2010 - Streetsblog

Can planners effectively use on-line meeting technology to host public participation workshops? The City of Los Angeles' Department of City Planning recently decided to find out for itself by experimenting with a "webinar" format for two kickoff workshops highlighting the City's 2010 draft citywide Bicycle Plan. A webinar is a web conference, where participants can access a virtual meeting using a computer and Internet connection. Participants access a website to see the presente's computer screen and also listen to the presenter through the computer's speakers or using a telephone.

August 6, 2010 - Ken Bernstein

The City of Los Angeles Department of Planning and Department of Transportation held a first-ever public online participation webinar Thursday, July 20, 2010. The city used the opportunity to experiment with web conferencing technology, and will survey participants after the event to evaluate the success of the experiment. A webinar is a web conference, where participants can access a virtual meeting using a computer, and Internet connection. Participants access a website to see the presenter's computer screen, and also listen to the presenter through the computer's speakers, or using a telephone.

July 20, 2010 - Chris Steins

I learned with great sadness about the loss of William Mitchell, 65, this past friday after a long battle with cancer. Bill was the chair of my Ph.D. committee, a mentor and a friend. 

June 13, 2010 - Anthony Townsend

"Participatory Chinatown" is a computer game designed to increase public participation in the planning process in Boston.

May 7, 2010 - The Boston Globe

PlaceMatters has partnered with the National Charrette Institute on a number of occasions, providing trainings and giving panel presentations at conferences. One of our common themes is "High Touch, High Tech Charrettes." During the sessions we talk about the advantages of low tech and when it makes sense to bring in high tech. Below I have embedded a video that is a montage of clips filmed during a downtown revitalization Charrette in Wichita Kansas. In this project, PlaceMatters partnered with Goody Clancy to help residents go through a series of exercises including keypad polling and mapping exercises to brainstorm about the future of downtown Wichita.

May 4, 2010 - Ken Snyder

In a recent piece in Wired, Clive Thompson suggests that the solution to the problem of texting while driving is not to stop texting, but to stop driving. The popularity of texting is a good reason to support public transit.

March 17, 2010 - Wired Magazine

Twitter, iPhones, and new sites like SeeClickFix make it increasingly easy for citizens and governments to communicate. Along with newly available data sets, these "Gov 2.0" apps may signal a new era of active citizens and responsive governments.

January 29, 2010 - CNN

Downloading my newest addition to my Kindle library—the digital book service provided by Amazon.com—I remembered the gentle criticism of a planner on a list serve not too long ago. The thread was on sustainability and global warming. I had made the point that market economies were innovative economies, and too much of the planning discussion on sustainability focused on reduced consumption without seriously discussing the ways technology fundamentally changed our choice sets. The planner chastised me for my faith in markets, saying, in a nutshell, we need to focus on what we know we can influence and not hedge are bets on the past. The implication was that markets were too ephemeral and undependable to include in long-term planning.

January 4, 2010 - Samuel Staley

This Colorado city and four others across the nation have made early moves toward sustainability, innovation, and clean technology.

November 25, 2009 - Christian Science Monitor

Citizen volunteers are democratizing the field of online mapping, spreading out to document neighborhoods and streets worldwide.

November 17, 2009 - New York Times

A group of industry and policy leaders discuss the current state of the technology and infrastructure that will drive change for the auto industry.

November 8, 2009 - The Planning Report

Maine mill town asks citizens to record their memories at downtown "Heart Spots" as part of the master planning process.

October 18, 2009 - The Journal Tribune

October 9, 2009 - Rick Abelson

These maps are distorted to emphasize areas with higher populations. Check out the warped US and bloated Australia.

October 9, 2009 - Fast Company

Engineers at USC have developed a new technique for '3-D printing' houses.

September 4, 2008 - Boing Boing

The newest Drew Carey video at Reason.tv—Mexicans and Machines: Why Its Time to Lay Off NAFTA—is (IMHO) brilliant, and triggered more than a couple of thoughts about how technology and progress creates practical challenges for planning.

July 9, 2008 - Samuel Staley