Technology
Will Engineered Resilience Eclipse Sustainability?
Rives Taylor pens an editorial for Urban Land advocating for "engineered resilience", which he describes as "next-generation sustainability" that "adds adaptability and the protection of human life" to planning for the well-being of the planet.
New Web Platform Allows You to Invest Locally
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan profiles Smallknot, a Kickstarter-like platform that allows local businesses to tap their neighbors for capital investments in exchange for goods and services.
4 Major U.S. Cities Publish Data for All to See
A new platform from the U.S. government serves as a central location for Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle to share their municipal data.
Minnesota Courting Bicyclists' Billion-Dollar Business
With bicycling a $1 billion (with a 'B') industry in the State of Minnesota, a coalition of eight public partners are joining together to raise the profile of biking and make it easier to pedal through the already spoke-friendly state.
Silicon Valley Companies Relocate To SF - Apartment Rents Skyrocket
In this pair of 'cause and effect' articles, USA Today reporters describe the many companies seeking new office and R&D sites in San Francisco, whether relocating from expensive downtown Palo Alto, the South or East Bay, or outside the state or U.S.
Friday Funny: Honda Helps the World Become Even Lazier
For those who thought having to stand to use a Segway required far too much exertion, Honda has introduced the Uni-Cub, a radical new way for humans to avoid ever having to be upright again.
Can a New App Prevent Traffic Jams?
Zak Stone spotlights a new app being tested in Germany that can predict and prevent traffic jams, and promises to reduce CO2 emissions in the process.
Highly Anticipated Google Fiber Plan for Kansas City Unveiled
Calling it the "next phase of the Internet", Google announced the details of the roll out of its ultrahigh-speed Internet network this week, which will offer speeds 100 times faster than typical broadband connections to residents of Kansas City.
To Fix Its Streets, China Turns to the Crowd
As China goes car crazy, a new crowdsourcing website seeks to address the needs of Beijing's lowly pedestrians and bicyclists, reports Nate Berg.
Is this the Solar Power Breakthrough We've Been Waiting For?
After decades of research and development solar power still doesn't pencil out for many home and business owners. Could a thin, transparent solar cell invented by scientists at UCLA change that equation?
Pioneering Net-Zero Building Opens in Unlikely Location
To find Oregon's first energy-neutral building, you'll have to venture 45 minutes outside progressive Portland to the Willamette Valley town of Newberg. There you'll find a first step in an effort to change our physical and cultural environments.
Bay Area to Study Regional VMT Fee
The Bay Area's two regional agencies approved funding a study to pursue a 9-county "vehicle-miles-traveled" fee of as much as 10-cents per mile that could involve GPS technology to fund regional transportation improvements.
Chicago Crowdsources a Superior Transit App
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan discusses the launch of Designing Chicago, an "unusual" Kickstarter campaign intended to utilize the brains and wallets of the city's residents to create an app covering the city’s various systems of public transportation.
Tech Start-Ups Move to the Beach
Jefferson Graham describes how an influx of tech start-ups are turning Los Angeles into "Silicon Beach" - the newest hot spot for entrepreneurs with an entertainment, celebrity or mobile edge.
Celebrating the Anniversary of a Discovery That's Completely Changed the Built Environment
Following on the hottest ever first half of a year in America's recorded history, James Barron examines the history behind the creation of air conditioning, on this day in 1902.
Assessing the Impacts of Shifting From Coal to Natural Gas
In a 2-part series, NPR reports on the rapid downfall of coal as an energy source and its replacement by natural gas - each now produces about one-third of America's electricity. Fracking is key to increased NG supplies - but it carries its own risks
Led by its 'Hyperactive' Mayor, Chicago Plots a Comeback
When he took office last year, Rahm Emmanuel inherited a city in which a sheen of new projects hid a crumbling infrastructure. With a laundry list of initiatives, the mayor is intent on retaining the city's place amongst the world's great cities.
Radical Cartography Produces Unlikely Maps and Design Partnerships
Lillian Mathews describes "radical cartography," a movement to highlight, not hide, the process and politics associated with map-making decisions.
Pop-Up Cinema Brings Blockbusters to Your Stoop
In case the everyday theater of urban street life isn't quite adequate in an age of $200 million Hollywood blockbusters, a design collective from Auckland, New Zealand has created a way to turn any stoop into a mini cinema.
Cities Look to Break the Rising Cost of College
As the federal and several state governments continue to allow costs for a college education to rise, local governments and business are looking for strategies to stem the tide.
Pagination
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.
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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