Technology
New Mobile Phone Charging Stations Powered By Kinetic Energy
Combining both solar power and kinetic energy, the first public phone charging station of its kind was recently installed at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Gov. Jerry Brown Touts California's Success at U.N. Climate Summit
Leonardo DiCaprio may have received top billing, but Jerry Brown spoke as well on the actions of the Golden State to combat climate change under his watch. Two days earlier, he signed six bills to increase sales of electric vehicles.
The Race to Map Brazil's Favelas
In an effort to tap into new users, companies like Google and Microsoft are racing to map the winding, informal streets of Brazil's slums in Rio de Janeiro.
6 Questions to Consider for Digital Public Engagement Planning
Digital engagement is the latest buzz when it comes to public participation. If your town is thinking about diving into the digital realm, consider these six questions.
A New, Flexible System for Congestion Pricing
Researchers at MIT have developed a new, flexible congestion pricing system.
Speeding Camera Issues 6,000 Tickets in a Day—Is it Unfair?
After issuing 6,000 speeding tickets in one day, a speeding camera in Sheepshead Bay in New York City has already influenced driving habits. But some in the community are calling the location of the cameras a trap.
San Francisco's Shopping Spree for New Muni Cars
After winning the contract to build All Aboard Florida's locomotives and passenger cars, Siemens Sacramento manufacturing plant landed a $648 million contract much closer to home: Replacement of the San Francisco Muni Metro Breda light rail cars.
Cell Phones Fail the Eyeball Test for Public Safety
Citing anecdotal evidence from Montgomery County, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and China, a Washington Post article argues that cell phones are creating public safety concerns.
How LEDs Re-Illuminate the Urban Night Sky
Forbes Magazine reflects on the importance and impacts of light-emitting diode (LED) lights as more cities replace their traditional streetlamps with LEDs.
A Cloud-Based Firewall to Stop Car-Data Hackers
Using a cloud-based computing setup, the third largest maker of luxury vehicles unveiled a new set of protections from hackers in the face of driverless travel.
Top 10 Websites - 2014
Our annual list of the ten best planning, design, and development websites represents only some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.
When Designers Should Just Say No
The accouterments of modern life are heavily designed, replete with ostensible utility. But here's a radical suggestion: "Perhaps we’re solving the wrong problems — or inventing problems that don’t exist — as justification for our excessive output."
Hybrid Vehicle Sales Take a Dive
A new study revealed that more car buyers are choosing plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) while fewer are choosing traditional hybrid vehicles. Both types are considered to be electric vehicles, and hybrid sales far outnumber PEV sales.
Chinese City Installs Special Lanes for Distracted Walkers
In both a literal and figurative sign of the times, the Chinese city of Chongqing recently installed signage and marking to segregate pedestrian traffic between smartphone users and those walking free of such technological distractions.
America's Growing Data Divide
The opportunities from data-driven innovations are wide, but many communities experiencing the data divide are without access to or reporting of high-quality data, furthering them from these benefits.
Bus Startup Bridj Hires Gabe Klein as Chief Operations Officer
Gable Klein, former head of transportation for Chicago and Washington D.C., has joined Bridj, a Boston-based startup building dynamically generated bus routes.
Does the Evolution of Smartphones Come at the Expense of 'Spatial Thinking'?
Are smartphones supplementing the capacity of humans to think spatially, such that future generations might lose fundamental cognitive abilities?
Can the 'Sharing Economy Advisory Network' Help Cities and the New Economy Get Along?
The National League of Cities has created the Sharing Economy Advisory Network to develop best practices for cities in developing regulations while also allowing sharing economy businesses to expand and operate.
Friday Eye Candy: Social Media and the Beauty of Transit
Jenni Avins shares a collection of videos created on Instagram's new Hyperlapse app that capture the beauty of transportation from every corner of the world.
Breaking News: $5 Billion Tesla Battery 'Gigafactory' Headed to Nevada
With competition from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, Elon Musk, the CEO of Bay Area-based Tesla Motors, chose the Silver State to build his much sought after $5 billion battery "giga factory."
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
