Technology
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.
TransitScreen Provides Real Time Info in Downtown Seattle
A new service provides transit users live, real-time displays of all transportation options within proximity to various locations in downtown Seattle, Washington.
Why Self-Driving Buses Hold More Potential than Self-Driving Cars
An article by Greg Lindsay and Anthony Townsend takes the shine off of self-driving cars and identifies a preferable avenue for autonomous vehicle technology: buses.
Ohio Takes Two Steps Back on Energy
"After a few years of progress, a new national ranking of state energy efficiency policies confirms that Ohio is now falling fast behind competing states," reports David Beach.
'Open by Default': Louisville Opens Data to the Public
Louisville has shown leadership in the open data movement by doubling the amount of data it shares with the public in the past year.
Comparing Taxi, Transportation Network Company Fares Reveals the 'Cost of Loyalty'
An app that compares fares across transportation network company platforms reveals several lessons about the state of competition in this new transportation frontier.
MapStory Traces the Development of the United States
Interested in tracing the development of everything from urban bike lanes to national parks to rocket test sites?
Cities Passing Up Opportunity to Amass Uber's Valuable Data
The legalization (or illegalization) process of Uber throughout the country allows city governments to leverage a data exchange with the company, but too many municipalities are passing up this momentous opportunity.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
