Technology
Our Fragile Emerging Megacities: A Focus on Resilience
The number of megacities is expected to double over the next decade, and many of these growing cities are far from resilient. The solution: frugal engineering and local knowledge.
Friday Eye Candy: Mapping Urban Exercise Patterns
An enterprising blogger has produced a slew of urban maps with an overlay of publicly available data on exercise routes. In addition to being fetching, the patterns revealed show how runners make use of the public realm.
On the Impending Doom of the Land Line
Many of us grew up with the telephone as a central appliance in our homes, around which much energy and attention revolved. The days of the land-line telephone, however, are numbered.
Debate Continues Over Benefits of White Roofs
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently completed an economic analysis of white roofs versus their green and black counterparts. The debate over the relative merits of white versus green roofs is far from over, however.
How the Daily Commute Hurts Civic Engagement
A contributing factor to widespread political disengagement? It's not what you might expect. Here's how the daily commute diminishes citizens' interest and ambition to get involved in their communities.
The Dramatic Impact of LED Streetlights on Celluloid
Los Angeles recently completed a comprehensive installation of LED streetlights—and New York City is not far behind. Among the unintended consequences of the new technology? Cities will now look completely different on film.
Feds Allow ‘Next Generation’ Vehicle Safety Technology
By allowing the use of a new vehicle safety communication system called V2V, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are hoping to protect drivers without overstepping privacy boundaries.
The Land Where Electric Vehicles Reign
In this European country, the Nissan Leaf is the third best seller and Tesla's Model S luxury car is number one. The major reason is not its environmental ethos, which is strong, but because of the perks that EVs receive. What county is it?
Riverside, CA, Could Scrap Citywide WiFi
The hit or miss efforts of cities to deliver citywide wireless networks has its latest case study: the city of Riverside in the Inland Empire of California is considering an effort to shut down or downsize its 2007 network.
Jittery Places, Reducing the Right to Just Be
You’re being monitored. Everything you are is tracked and stored in a data centre. How do you feel about these digital and physical forms of regulation? Do they make you jittery? Do you feel more secure? Are you a wiser consumer?
Lessons from Don Draper (for Planners)
Aside from inspiring a classy wardrobe, what can urban planners learn from characters like Don Draper and Peggy Olson? What cues should urban planners and policy makers take from the field of advertising to help pitch planning ideas?
Drug Testing Your City's Sewer System
If you really want to know how prevalent drug use is in your community, don't ask people–just test their wastewater.
"Ghost Buildings" Help Stakeholders See the Shape of Things to Come
An Oxford city councillor would like to bring a Swiss system of erecting "ghost building" profiles to the UK for the first time to help residents and officials understand the scale of proposed projects before granting permits.
Seattle Looks to Data Centers for Heat, Hot Water
Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is looking to an unusual source for energy: the area’s data centers.
Chicago's Data Projects: Overblown or On Target?
Chicago's big-data projects seem unwieldy, but there is a sound core plan informing them.
StreetSeen: A New Tool for Understanding the Built Environment
Want an easy to use public engagement tool that helps you to understand the visual preferences of the public? StreetSeen (http://streetseen.osu.edu), a free online tool allows planners and others to simply construct and deploy visual surveys.
Virginia Senate Votes to Rescind Prius Tax
The much maligned "Prius tax", an annual registration fee for hybrid and electric vehicles to ensure they pay their share of road costs that was part of former Va. Governor Bob McDonell's landmark transportation bill last year, may soon be history.
The Perils of TEDification
On Places, Simon Sadler explores the magical thinking and many contradictions of the TED Talks.
The Dark Side of Electric Vehicle Charging
You've heard of road rage. Electric vehicle drivers at Silicon Valley workplaces where EVs substantially exceed chargers may experience "charge rage" when a "top-off" can take as long as eight hours.
A Low-Cost Way to Improve Transit Service in Every City
The developers of a transit-tracking app have some for exciting news for public officials: There's a way to improve transit rider satisfaction without reducing fares, buying new vehicles or expanding service. Just give your users more information.
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
