Technology
The World's Smartest Cities
Fast Company runs down a list of the "smartest" cities in the world. First place goes to Songdo City, in South Korea.
Innovative Redesigns for the Simple Traffic Light
The common traffic light isn't normally thought of as a problem. But what if you were colorblind? That's just one aspect of these eight proposals for a rethinking of the traffic light, gathered by WebUrbanist.
Traffic Management, Disney Style
At Disney World, getting millions of visitors through the lines of their desired attractions faster is a huge logistical challenge. The theme park is taking a high-tech approach to the problem.
New Tool Adds Transportation to the Green Building Equation
A new free online tool, developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology for the US Green Building Council, adds the effect of transportation and indirect emissions to the sustainable building equation.
Rio's New Citywide Control Room
IBM is partnering with the city of Rio de Janeiro to build a massive "citywide control room" to monitor and respond to emergencies.
Gov 2.0 Grows
Gov 2.0 is on the rise, and an increasing amount of cities and groups are getting behind efforts to improve the way cities function by better processing their data.
Postal Service as Mobile Urban Data Collector
The U.S. Postal Service operates a massive fleet of trucks and vans throughout the country. Michael Ravnitzky argues that this fleet could be easily modified to collect data about the places the vehicles go.
Mapping Seattle's Bikeability
Comparing Seattle to Portland, transportation planner Adam Parast used GIS data to show the most bikeable parts of the city.
The Music of Planning
A website called "Isle of Tune" lets you build streets SimCity-style, with a twist- the houses and streetlights become musical elements in the sequence that you make.
Five Technologies That Matter For Cities
Mobile broadband, government-sponsored cloud computing, smart devices - these are a few of the technologies that cities should be thinking about for the future, says the Institute for the Future in a new report.
Opening Government Easier Said Than Done
Federal government entities are supposed to be "opening" their data, publishing it online for any and all to see. While the goal is good, the reality of meeting the requirement is creating problems.
S.F. Attracting Tech Industry from Silicon Valley
More tech workers are choosing the city over the suburbs. Now companies themselves are beginning to follow suit, reports Jon Swartz.
Satellite Crash Jeopardizes Russian GPS Program
Russia has been developing a $2 billion alternative to the American GPS system. This week, a programming error sent 3 critical satellites crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
Can Web-Aggregated Data Improve Society?
In an experiment in social data gathering, Slate's Michael Agger suggests that there is a host of ways we could be contributing our personal data to help make better policy decisions.
7 Reasons Why Big Cities Matter
Writing for City Journal, Mario Polese argues that big cities are more important than ever, and backs up his argument with seven reasons they're luring people, from economies of scale to falling transportation and communication costs.
Listening for Landslides
Researchers have developed a new technology to sense the acoustic conditions that indicate oncoming landslides.
D.C. Takes Long-Range Transit Planning Online
Washington D.C.'s Metro is expecting a major increase in ridership over the next 30 years. To try to meet that demand, they're recruiting ideas from the public with a new outreach effort.
Could China Set New Standards for Coal Mining?
The Atlantic's James Fallows and Alexis Madrigal fly over Virginia & Kentucky to see first hand how mining effects the land, both in the U.S. and more importantly in China, where they're developing greener techniques for mining.
Top 10 Books - 2011
Planetizen is pleased to release its ninth annual list of the ten best books in urban planning, design and development published in 2010. This year's selection includes some big names, some big ideas -- and a book called "Toilet."
No Cell Phones in Cars, Says LaHood
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood's passion is eliminating the threat of distracted driving from cellphones and texting. Now he's taking it a step further and saying the in the future cellphone scramblers might be mandatory in cars.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
