Technology
Maps, Apps, and Food
Yahoo has released a new iPhone app that allows users to draw a circle on a map around the area he or she wants to search.
City Stunts Try to Lure Fiber Optic Internet
A handful of American cities are hoping to become testing grounds for a new fiber optic Internet connection being offered by Google. To catch the company's eye, many of these cities are making concerted -- and sometimes audacious -- efforts.
People Rarely Leave 6-Mile Circle
In a study in Europe using cellphone GPS data, researchers discovered that people rarely leave a six-mile area around where they live. GPS cellphone data is being used for a host of urban planning studies like this.
GIS Meets Architecture
This article from Architect looks at how GIS is integrating itself into the toolbox of architects.
New Argument for Public Transit: Better for Texting?
In a recent piece in Wired, Clive Thompson suggests that the solution to the problem of texting while driving is not to stop texting, but to stop driving. The popularity of texting is a good reason to support public transit.
Charting Public Data Via Google
Google has launched a new experimental effort to visualize much of the public data it now searches and displays.
Post-Katrina, New Urbanists Help Haiti
Philip Langdon compares the New Urban response to New Orleans and Haiti.
Miami 311: Online
The city of Miami is putting its 311 phone system and the civic problems it's used to report online, enabling residents and city officials to easily track local problems.
Inchvesting in Detroit
$1 will buy you one square inch of a vacant lot in Detroit, and membership in Jerry Paffendorf's club of "inchvestors." It may sound like a scheme, but Paffendorf calls it a way to network, invest in Detroit, and attract entrepreneurs.
OP-ED: Make "High-Speed" Rail Speedier
Train writer Christian Wolmar argues that the best application for high speed rail funds would be to upgrade the Washington D.C. to Boston, 150 mph Acela line to true, high speed rail status and used as a showcase for American rail technology.
Town Futures in Photoshop
A picture's worth a thousand plans - at least when it's a "photo-realistic visualization." Designer Steve Price's detailed 3D flash animations show towns what empty streetscapes and drab buildings could look like with a little bit of planning.
When's the Next Subway? Look Up.
Electronic next train signage has come to the New York Subway. Three experimental systems are currently being tested throughout the system, but locals say the kinks are still clearly being worked out.
Curing Congestion Through Computing
This piece from Fast Company looks at an effort by IBM to use computer systems to intuitively understand traffic systems and improve the way city infrastructure handles congestion.
Turning Cities into Innovation Centers
Saul Kaplan says cities should be transformed into innovation centers to stay competitive and become the venue of a "new economic conversation".
Engaging Communities, Improving Neighborhoods
Dr. Marc Schlossberg of the University of Oregon developed a series of tools for mobile GIS devices, and set community members loose to use the technology to collect data about their streets and improve their neighborhood livability.
Seducing Riders Onto Transit
At a recent transportation conference, Dr. Leo Kroon of the Netherlands Railway says their strategy is not to force people to use the train but to 'seduce' them with the latest innovations.
Intelligent Buildings in the Environment
Through digital displays and environmental sensors, new architecture projects are creating a visual way to monitor environmental conditions in specific places.
In Land Of Hi-Tech, Why Do Newspapers Flourish?
Palo Alto is where Silicon Valley started, yet locals eagerly pick up the Daily Post, the Daily News, as well as read PaloAlto-Online. The New York Times investigates why print media flourishes here while regional and national papers struggle.
The Underappreciated Cable Car
When people talk about cable cars, they picture San Francisco's quaint trolleys. But cable-propelled transit (CPT) is a viable transportation option in the 21st century, argues Steven Dale.
Should Planners Always Strive for Efficiency?
The backlash against red-light cameras provide a cautionary tale for those who want to cut costs and raise revenue through technology.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
