Technology
Post-Car? Helsinki's Plans for a Tech-Enabled Mobility Network
Helsinki, capital of Finland's, is working to create a "mobility on demand" system that integrates shared and public transit in a single payment network. The idea is that with such a system in place, residents would no longer need cars.
An App that Calculates the Most Beautiful Route
New in flaneur-enabling technology: a team of intrepid aesthetes in Barcelona is working on a new app that would advance GPS mapping tools by providing the most beautiful route to a destination, rather than the shortest or least congested route.
Op-Ed: Comprehensive Plan Needed to Replace Dallas' Aging Traffic Lights
An editorial calls for a comprehensive plan to address Dallas' growing need to overhaul its streetlights—80 percent of which are now older than their recommended 25-year life span.
Holy Autonomous Bicycles Batman!
Recent reports reveal that a Chinese Internet search company known as Baidu is developing a bicycle that will ride itself. The technology could be game changer in Asia—China, for instance, has 551 million bike riders.
Benefits of Uber in Philadelphia: Reduced Drunk Driving
While much of the concern of how to regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar comes down to questions about safety and access, recent findings show that the apps have reduced DUI arrests in the City of Brotherly Love.
Friday Funday: New Google Maps Game Tests Your Geography Knowledge
If you're obsessed with trivia and maps, prepare to lose some hours.
Transportation Network Companies Struggling with ADA Compliance
Ted Trautman provides a thorough investigation of the actions (or lack thereof) of transportation network companies to provide access for customers with special needs.
Does the 'Playable City' Improve the 'Smart City'?
Conceived as a counterpoint to the "smart city," the "playable city" would think beyond efficiency and utility in applying technology to the urban experience.
New Maps Compare Travel Times by Mode
Want to know the fastest way to get where you're going? You Are Here has created a new visualization tool that shows you the fastest mode for your trip in 11 cities.
Biking as a Late 19th Century 'Emblem of Women's Rights'
Writing for The Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance details how the bicycle paved the way for many liberating political advancement for women.
Planning Education: Made in China?
A high school field trip in China that is hard to imagine in the United States.
'Urban Reviewer' Archives New York City's 155 Neighborhood Master Plans
The 596 Acres project to catalogue and improve vacant, publicly owned lots in New York City produced another great tool called the Urban Reviewer, which gathers all of New York's adopted neighborhood master plans in one place.
Monkey Parking is Monkey Business, Warns San Francisco City Attorney
A "cease-and-desist letter" was sent June 23 to MonkeyParking, a Rome-based tech startup that developed and markets an app that allows motorists to auction public parking spaces beginning at $5. The city attorney demanded shut-down by July 11.
'Consider the Traffic Light'
Dan Saffer asks us to consider the traffic light—and there's plenty to think about.
Why Would Anyone Want a Smart Home?
A tech columnist reviews the current state of smart home technology and finds that improvements will be necessary before widespread adoption can be expected.
SFPark Releases Data on Two-Year Pilot Phase
The SFPark two-year pilot has concluded, and the city recently released comprehensive data that make a good case for its success in almost every possible metric of parking management. Now can the city expand the program?
On the Endangered Value of Taxi Medallions
Emily Badger focuses on the signifier at the middle of the ongoing battle between taxi companies and transportation network companies like Uber, Lfyt, and Sidecar—the taxi medallion.
Web App to Provide Quick Scale Comparison Data
Perth, Australia joins ESRI's Urban Observatory network, a web application used to make quick scale comparison data maps of participating cities.
New Data Quantifies the Reach of Airbnb
The San Francisco Chronicle published a sweeping portrait of Airbnb's operations within the city of San Francisco—from previously unreleased data to personal stories of renters.
Texas High Speed Rail Proposal Gaining Momentum
An article by Amy Crawford details the prospects of a plan to build a private rail connection between Houston and Dallas—the Texas Central Railway—that would be modeled on lines in Japan, and funded by Japanese interests.
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
