Technology

6 Promising New Apps for Design Professionals

'Forget clipboards and cameras," says Heidi Moore. She spotlights six new apps (and five 'tried-and-tested' ones) that can solve your measuring, note-taking, and networking needs on your phone.

July 11, 2013 - Architect

Nation's First VMT Fee Bill Passed By Oregon Legislature

If Gov. John Kitzhaber signs SB 810, as expected, Oregon will create a voluntary program for up to 5,000 motorists who will pay 1.5-cents for every mile they drive instead of the 30-cent state fuel excise tax.

July 10, 2013 - Statesman Journal

Landmark Ruling Liberates California GIS Data

The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Sierra Club's quest to have publicly held GIS data made available for a nominal fee under the California Public Records Act.

July 10, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

The Great Repurposing: Envisioning the City of Driverless Cars

With driverless cars poised to appear in the not-too-distant future, planners and engineers are beginning to envision the effect on the urban landscape and the spaces within cars themselves. Nick Bilton shares some of the predictions.

July 9, 2013 - The New York Times

Is the Civic Hackathon Trend Sustainable?

As more governments embrace civic hackathons as a way to tap enthusiastic young software developers quickly and cheaply, a backlash to these "app-developing marathons" is growing along with them. Does their local focus doom them to irrelevance?

July 7, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Zombies

Mapping Interest in All Things Zombie

The three geographers behind the Floating Sheep blog have created a world map of Internet references to zombies.

July 5, 2013 - Atlantic Cities

The Top Architecture Instagrammers

Looking for some design inspiration? The editors of ArchDaily have put together a list if the 25 top feeds to follow on Instagram.

July 5, 2013 - ArchDaily

Infrastructural Tourism Takes Off

Shannon Mattern examines how media scholars and environmental artists are working to reveal the material and immaterial infrastructures that shape our lives, from the Interstate to the Internet.

July 3, 2013 - Places Journal

#TeslaCrash: Three reasons for Tesla (and all of us) to be concerned

Tesla has just disclosed the first fatal crash of a driver using its "Autopilot" system. Tesla should be concerned about the question of who's liable, and we should all be concerned about the wider consequences of this tragic event.

July 2, 2013 - Scott Le Vine

5 Glimpses Into the Future of Civic Engagement

Seeking to maximize the power of the Internet to expand public outreach efforts, a plethora of engagement platforms have proliferated in recent years. Government Technology looks at five of the most promising new models of civic engagement.

July 2, 2013 - Government Technology

Healthy Homes: The Latest Luxury Extravagance

Come September, for tens of millions of dollars, you can be the owner of the latest in healthy living - a "WELL-certified condominium" - which promises to deliver improved air, water, light, sleep, energy and nutrition.

July 1, 2013 - The New York Times

Peach Tree

An App to Map Free Urban Snacks

A map and website developed by PhD student Ethan Welty and friend Caleb Philip catalogs the cornucopia of edible trees found in the "urban orchards" of two-dozen cities around the world.

June 29, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Urban Design in the New Soft City

Carl Skelton argues that the public needs new tools of citizenship to participate fully in the digital cities of the near future.

June 28, 2013 - Places Journal

Online Car Service Battle Lands in Los Angeles

Online car services like Uber and Lyft have waged highly publicized regulatory and political battles in NYC, D.C., and elsewhere. After the city sent out cease-and-desist letters to companies this week, L.A. has emerged as the newest battleground.

June 27, 2013 - Quartz

How the Internet is Helping Cities in the Western World to Loosen Up

While cities in the developing world embrace the chaos and risk inherent in their informal landscapes, the Western world excels at regulation. But this dynamic is starting to change, to the dismay of incumbent industries and establishment regulators.

June 26, 2013 - Next City

The 8 Most Promising Ideas in Open Gov

This week, the Knight Foundation announced the eight recipients (out of 886 applicants) to share in $3.2 million in grant funds intended to promote the use of public data "to improve the way people and governments interact."

June 25, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Tallying San Francisco's Cyclists, Bike-by-Bike

Last month an innovative real-time bike counter debuted along San Francisco's Market Street, which is said to be the busiest bike street west of the Mississippi. Over its first 27 days, the counter tallied nearly 55,000 riders.

June 23, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Bring ‘em on? Planning for the Robo-cars

Now is the time for planners to engage in the public debate on vehicle-automation – leaving it to the car-makers and search-engine providers (and their legions of techies) won’t deliver the livability outcomes planners aim to achieve.

June 21, 2013 - Scott Le Vine

'Rest Stop for the Urban Age' to Hit NYC Streets

How many times have you hunted in vain for a place to charge your phone for a few minutes while running between errands? Hunt no more. An experimental, and elegant, solar-powered cell phone charging station is set to hit the streets of New York.

June 18, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Design

Turning an Eye on Big Brother

Ever wonder just how many prying eyes are watching you as you amble down a city street? A new app seeks to develop a comprehensive catalog of Big Brother's presence by documenting the locations of security cameras covering a city's public spaces.

June 17, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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