Technology
Op-Ed: Urban Design Should Mind the Line Between 'Cute' and 'Safe'
Sarah Goodyear writes a dissenting take on the "cutestification" of urban design—calling for a priority on clean and safe over "fun."
Six Helpful Apps for Urban Designers
Leslie Clagett shares a list of apps for urban designers (helpful to project managers, too) "to streamline design problems, decision making, and materials selection."
The Eco Village Concept: Climate Mitigation Might Require Experimentation
Robert Boyer of UNC-Charlotte discusses his new article on the hurdles surrounding building environmentally friendly Ecovillages. Follow Journal of Planning Education and Research @JPER7.
Market in Portland Creates Bicycle Bridge Options
A new project to convert a little-used parking lot in a cloverleaf onramp opens the door to improve an awkward bike bridge landing in Portland, Oregon.
Friday Eye Candy: Stunning Visualizations of Civilization in Space
Dan Malouf shares a collection of still images taken from the four-minute film Wanderers showing "what human civilization might look like with colonies on Mars, in the asteroid belt, and on the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus."
The United Nations Studies Urban Emissions Monitoring
Urban emissions researchers have been invited to speak at the UN Climate Conference in Lima. Their findings: through focused and networked monitoring, cities can make real inroads on cutting carbon.
Tel Aviv Named World's Smartest City
The Smart City Expo and World Congress, held this year in Barcelona, announced its 2014 World Smart Cities Awards. This year the top award went to Tel Aviv, Israel.
A Dissenting Take on Smart Cities from Rem Koolhaas
A post on the European Commission website provides an edited transcript of a presentation by Rem Koolhaas in which the starchitect and author offers a scathing take on the ill effects of smart cities.
Mining Data from the World for Big Profits
The Wall Street Journal examines a pair of businesses as examples of how new sources of data can be collected and sold. Orbital Insight, Inc, for instance, interprets the shadows cast by buildings.
Goodbye Two-Car Household; Hello Rideshare and Carshare
A new study from KPMG predicts that the U.S. will go from a majority multi-car household to one where only 43% of households have more than one motor vehicle by 2040, and rideshare and car-share, along with demographic changes, will play key roles.
16 Online Tools And Resources for More Productive Planners
You manage multiple projects, plans, and engagement processes. You collaborate with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders. You report to your boss, council and the public. Is there a way to wring some productivity to get more done?
Did Obama Bet on the Wrong Electric Vehicle Technology?
With Toyota's long-waited fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) hitting showrooms in the U.S. this week, Kenneth Chang, science reporter for The New York Times, delves further into the technology, starting with how it fared under two administrations.
So Long Pay Phones—7,000 'LinkNYC' Towers Coming Soon
Pay phones are over in New York City. Soon, however, 7,000 futuristic looking Link towers will be a standard presence among the New York streetscape.
Does Airbnb Impact the Affordable Housing Market?
Michelle Cohen discusses whether or not companies like Airbnb, which provide platforms for room and house-sharing aimed at travelers, impact a city's affordable housing market.
Invention Could Turn Leftover Transit Fares into Charity Donations
How much money goes unused in the form of spare change leftover on transit cards around the world? One invention would allow those fares to go to charity instead of washing away in the laundry or at the bottom of the dump.
How to Choose the Right Social Media Network for Your Planning Project
By now most planners agree that, in general, projects that don’t directly and negatively affect people, don’t generate a lot of public discussion. And residents who show up at public meetings tend to be the same characters weeks after weeks.
A Skeptical Take on the World's First Solar Bike Path
Big news out of the Netherlands this week: a Dutch company has installed the world's first solar-powered bike path. But are the system's inefficiencies worth its costs?
Self-Cooling Walls Take Climate Control Off the Grid
With anticipated rising global temperatures, the need to cool our homes will take a massive toll on our electrical grid, which a team of masters students aims to address with their new wall insulation.
Using Data to Plan for Equity
Denver’s Equity Atlas is a pioneering effort between private, public, and non-profit interests to visualize a variety of statistics for the Denver metro area.
Scarecrows 2.0
A new Dutch invention uses lasers to scare birds away, intended to mitigate their interference with critical industries.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
