Technology

For decades, people have been talking about how driverless cars would make highway traffic a thing of the past. Randal O'Toole asks, where are they?

February 9, 2009 - The Antiplanner

In the new version of Google Earth, you can compare aerial imagery from the past with current development on the site.

February 8, 2009 - DigitalUrban

DC writer Alec Dubro questions the pursuit of the green car, concluding we should cease its financial support. Though people may prefer the car culture, it would make more sense to pursue a ‘post car future’, citing Portland’s compact neighborhoods.

February 6, 2009 - The Progressive

Brad Templeton, chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, hopes that robot-driven cars will become commonplace on our roads in the next decade or two.

February 3, 2009 - Boing Boing

In an effort to improve gas mileage, 400 drivers in Denver participated in an experiment that tracked and reported the bad driving habits -- idling, rapid accelerating and braking -- that waste fuel. Faced with the data, driving habits have changed.

February 3, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

A long-help plan to install GPS-ready bus tracking equipment to New York City buses has been pushed off indefinitely.

February 3, 2009 - NY1 News

New updates to the online visualization program Google Earth add oceans to the image-based virtual version of the planet.

February 3, 2009 - The New York Times

Environmental activists and other organizations are using Google Earth to document environmental damage and to promote their various causes.

February 2, 2009 - Conscious Choice

Mark Gorton, creator of Limewire started developing his GeoServer software in 1999. Recently Portland adopted the software to plan bus routes. Gorton wants to foster a new revolution in participatory planning.

February 1, 2009 - Wired Blogs

Transit officials in Eugene, Oregon, have announced plans to install a test route for a magnet-guided bus technology.

January 31, 2009 - The Register-Guard

The Internet is a trove of great ideas about improving cities. Filling blogs and personal websites, the vast majority of ideas out there are little more than that: ideas. New York City's Streetsblog -- now a growing nationwide force -- is transforming the conversation into action.

January 29, 2009 - Mike Lydon

The telecommunications industry is pressuring Congress to add language to upcoming bill that would preempt local zoning authority if they 'take too long' to approve cell phone towers or sites.

January 27, 2009 - Anvil Partners blog

The "New American Home" for 2009 debuted last week at the International Builders Symposium in Las Vegas. The 9,000 sq. ft. home features the most recent developments in energy efficiency.

January 26, 2009 - The Ground Floor

This editorial suggests three strategies to make the American auto fleet more efficient: renewing the hybrid tax credit program (many credits have been exhausted), pursuing a "cash for clunkers program", and increasing the gas tax to supplement CAFE.

January 22, 2009 - The New York Times

The author of this article offers a few ideas on how to better use our 46,000 miles of highway. From the integration of rail lines to the development of electricity distribution grids, the interstate has more potential than it seems.

January 22, 2009 - Metropolis Magazine

In an effort to help officials and tourists in Washington D.C. deal with inauguration crowds, researchers at the University of Maryland have created a "four-dimensional" map that tracks traffic and road conditions in real time.

January 19, 2009 - NPR

UC Davis Professor Daniel Sperling, a transportation expert and member of CA's ARB has co-written "Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability". In this radio interview, Sperling describes cleaner auto technologies but dismisses transit's role.

January 16, 2009 - NPR: 'Fresh Air'

A proposed bridge going over the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area may be able to power itself with wind turbines integrated right onto the design.

January 15, 2009 - OregonLive

Due to consumers cutting back, the global market for recyclables has collapsed and even begun to cost some cities' recycling programs.

January 15, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

It's clear that both domestic and international auto companies are gearing up to manufacture all-electric (battery-powered) vehicles, though whether the market goes for them is another story with gas prices at historic lows.

January 14, 2009 - The New York Times