Technology
The Invisible Answer to Bike Helmet Hair
Developed by industrial designers Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, the Hovding is an "invisible bicycle helmet" that may be the key to unlocking anxiety over mandatory helmet laws.
Finding Parking in New York About to Get a Lot Easier
With a new pilot program, New York City is joining the growing list of cities launching apps to connect drivers to public parking spaces. A new app, called PayByPhone, will let drivers find and pay for parking from their phones.
Digital Urban Planning: Take Control of Your City's Digital Future
How much of a role does your city play in controlling its digital representation? Colin Wood examines the efforts of Louisville's director of innovation to link the city's assets digitally and integrate them with the prevailing platforms.
The Paradox of the EPA's Clean Fuel Rules
The EPA's newly proposed rules to reduce sulfur in gasoline may have the perverse effect of making alternative vehicles, that is, those that don't run on gasoline, less competitive with conventional vehicles and ensure that we remain addicted to oil.
How Will 3D Printing Change the World's Cities?
Shrinking ports, less noxious trucks on our roads, and more self-sufficient towns. Neal Peirce describes the changes that 3D printing may bring to our lives. Will it be comparable to "the steam engine, the light bulb, atomic energy, the microchip?"
How a 75-year-old Courthouse Became the GSA's Paragon of Sustainability
Chris Bentley explains how San Antonio's Beaux Arts federal courthouse became an unlikely paragon of the GSA's sustainability efforts while balancing a sensitive historic renovation.
Friday Eye Candy: The World's Oldest Aerial Photo
Ever wonder what downtown Boston looked like on the eve of the Civil War? This photograph taken from a hot air balloon by James Wallace Black is thought to be the oldest aerial photo still in existence. Google Earth eat your heart out.
Can an Upstart Mapmaker Beat Google and Microsoft at Their Own Game?
Glenn Fleishman profiles MapBox, whose 30 employees are taking on the big boys in the development of interactive street and satellite maps. The company is working with Charlie Loyd to develop "the most beautiful, clean map ever made."
Santa Clara's Smart Solution for Providing Free Wi-Fi
The city of Santa Clara is piggybacking on the installation of connected, smart utility meters to blanket the city in a publicly accessible, free, wireless network.
Can Gamification Bring New Voices to the Planning Process?
A new Internet-based game hopes to expand the allure of civic engagement by making planning playful. Trial runs in Detroit and Salem, Massachusetts have already shown promise in attracting new voices to the planning process.
Mexico City's New Smog-Eating Building
A new building at a Mexico City hospital has been screened with an advanced, and quite attractive, tile that breaks down the harmful pollutants in smog into less toxic substances, reports Zak Stone.
Big Data Brings Big Benefits to Bloomberg's New York
Alan Feuer profiles the work of New York City's Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, a "geek squad of civic-minded number-crunchers" turning the city's trove of digital data into actionable information.
How Well Has L.A. Lived up to 25-Year-Old Predictions?
How well could today's futurists predict how everyday life will change by 2038? This was the task that the Los Angeles Times Magazine embarked on in 1988. A class of graduate students at USC has been looking into which predictions came true.
Strong Government Regulations Key to Kicking Oil Habit, Reducing Vehicle Emissions
What will it take to greatly reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles? Efficiency, alternative fuels, and strong governmental policies reports the National Research Council. And it will be highly unlikely.
Chinese Skyscrapers in Danger of Collapse
A growing "sand scandal" in Shenzhen may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the quality of concrete used in constructing China's skyscrapers. The construction of what was to have become the country's tallest building has been halted.
NYC Subway Stations to Deploy Giant iPads
Mark Wilson looks at the NY MTA's plan to install 90 touch-screen kiosks at subway stations around the city beginning this year. The innovative kiosks will offer rider information, interactive maps, and will even be able to run third-party apps.
Top Trends 2012-2013
Over the course of the year, the editors of Planetizen review and summarize thousands of articles, books, studies and editorials related to planning and urban development. Here are our picks for the most notable planning trends of the past year.
Felling Opposition to Wooden Skyscrapers
For a number of reasons, the use of wood for the construction of large buildings fell out of favor more than a century ago. So why is one Vancouver-based architect arguing for constructing high-rises using one of nature's oldest building materials?
Obama Pushes to Fund Advanced Autos with Fossil Fuel Revenues
At a visit to the Argonne National Laboratory today, President Obama was expected to unveil his plan to spend $2 billion in oil and gas revenues "to find ways to replace hydrocarbons as the primary fuel for the nation’s cars, trucks and buses."
Spanish City Offers Glimpse Into a Smart Future
While experts opine on what the city of the future will look like, Santander "has surged to the forefront of those aspiring to be smart." With 10,000 sensors collecting data and a custom app serving residents, the city is showing how smart is done.
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
