Technology
The 40 Tools You Need to Build Your Own Civilization
The Global Village Construction Set is a group of farmers and engineers who are developing an set of open-source designs for the forty tools one would need to create a self-sufficient life living off of the land.
Friday Funny: Unlocking the "City Planner" Achievement
Apparently in the horror first-person shooter videogame F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin for XBox, you can win a special "City Planner" achievement by -- blowing stuff up.
Smart Cities That Listen
The cities of the future should be "smart" -- equipped with data-collection tools and technologies to improve city functionality -- but being smart also means being a good listener, writes Saskia Sassen.
Govs Making the Switch to Cloud Computing
William D. Eggers says the government is giving up the costly infrastructure investments in favor of cloud computing, and the Feds are leading the way.
'Smart Growth' Replaced by 'Intelligent Cities'
The term "smart growth" may be approaching the end of its shelf life, according to some. Its replacement: "intelligent cities".
Get On The Road Train
Volvo is taking things a step closer to the "driverless car" idea with their "road train" concept: cars can "hook up" to a lead car or bus with a professional driver and ride along in their stream until they need to disembark.
Is A London 'Tech City' Viable?
British Prime Minister David Cameron wants to build a Silicon Valley-like "tech city" at the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics. But some question whether his plan can work.
Technology & Fuels Are Key To Reducing Transportation Climate Impacts
A second Pew Center report on transportation and climate change has been released. It places most emphasis on vehicle technology and fuel, less on transit and smart growth. However, urban planners should note that pricing policies are stressed.
Buildings That Tweet
Thomas Schielke, an architectural lighting expert, gives an inclusive overview of building facades that include media from the 1931 addition of color at the top of the Empire State Building to a 2010 building that converts brainwaves to light.
LA Bus Fleet Now Cleanest In The Nation
The city still known for its smog will not have its buses to blame - the last of its diesel-fueled ones retired Jan. 12 in a celebration. All but 7 of the 2,221 buses will be compressed-natural-gas powered; electric and gas-electric the remainder.
Questioning a Floating City for Haiti
A floating city has been proposed to help ease some of the problems being faced by earthquake-damaged Haiti. But is this the answer the struggling country needs?
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.
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
