Technology
BP's Chief Scientist Advocates Higher Gas Prices
BP's chief scientist provides his insight into solving the energy and climate crises, including the affect of higher gas prices and separating transportation from the heat and power sectors when dealing with strategies to reduce carbon emissions.
Rural U.S. Losing Out on Innovation
Alex Steffen of WorldChanging observes the growing divide in innovation between urban and rural America.
Does Maglev Hurt High Speed Rail?
This article from Metropolis looks at the plan for a magnetic-levitation train connecting Las Vegas and Anaheim, which has been brewing for years. But is this idea detracting from more feasible high speed rail plans?
The Future Of The Car Is The Present
GM will soon unveil its SUV of the future – the 'plug-in' hybrid known as the Volt. Mitsubishi's new mini, all-electric car will soon go to market in Japan. The days of the gas-powered car are numbered- or are they?
Location Efficiency and the Metric of Affordability
On this episode of Smart City, Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology discusses the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index.
'Live From A Moving Train' News Broadcast Set For 9/15
"Good Morning America" in cooperation with Amtrak will launch a 'Whistle-Stop' Tour at Grand Central Station on Mon, Sept. 15 - one full week live, two hours daily from a moving train featuring five station stops, making for a 'technology first'.
Planners: Embrace the Technical!
Chuck Donley argues that planners should get over their fear of being pigeonholed as "the technically-savvy" one in the office and learn to embrace new graphics technologies like Google Earth.
Looking for a Parking Spot? Go Online
A collection of links to online sources for parking spots.
Tokyo's Robotic High-Tech Bike Parking
Tokyo finds solution to commuter bicycle parking shortage by building high-tech robotic garages.
Is There a Future in Politics for Urban-Minded Bloggers?
The "creative class" is using the Internet and the blog world to drum up new ideas for combating sprawl and placelessness. This article argues it's only a matter of time before these urban thinkers go from blogging to local politics.
Bad Part of Town... For Car Alarms
In a certain part of downtown Tampa, Florida, people have been complaining for years about car alarms randomly going off, or not working at all. It turns out that a local radio station's signal interference is the cause.
The Printable Home
Engineers at USC have developed a new technique for '3-D printing' houses.
The Black Cloud: Using Games to Understand Air Quality
Human behavior and land use affect air quality, and those effects are very distinct at the local level. A new environmental game fusing public participation, air quality sensors and web technology shows how.
Boston's Largest Property Owner Going Green
Equity Office Properties Trust is undertaking major green renovations for its Boston properties, citing fiscal benefits as the impetus. When complete, the work will likely serve as a model for the Company's holdings across the country.
Planning for Avalanches
Technologie Alpine de Sécurité creates gas-powered avalanche control systems. The blog Pruned shows pictures of the system installed at Val Thorens, France.
Friday Funny: More Fun With Google Maps
An obviously Photoshopped cluster of trees appears in the Netherlands. What is someone hiding, and how are they hacking Google Earth?
Friday Funny: Drunk Caught on Google Streetview
Google Streetview is slowly taking pictures of every street in the world, and capturing unexpected vignettes along the way like an Australian man passed out on his front lawn.
'Wood Waste' Power Plant Raises Questions in Texas
The city of Austin considers a multi-billion dollar investment in a "biomass" power plant, burning wood waste in East Texas as a carbon-neutral, renewable energy source.
Boise Looks to Streetcars for Urban Renewal
Boise considers resurrecting their streetcar system after an 80 year absence.
Flood Forecasting Goes 3D
New modeling software could soon be available that would allow monitoring across the internet of flood levels in specific areas- like your backyard.
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
