Technology

Google Maps, Keep Out

North Oaks, Minnesota is one of a handful of towns pushing back on Google, claiming that their Street View feature is a violation of privacy.

June 12, 2008 - Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul

'Tele-Nurses' Save Precious Bucks on Ambulances

Instead of sending an ambulance every time someone calls 9-1-1, the Houston City Council voted to contract with a telephone nursing service for non-emergencies.

June 12, 2008 - The Houston Chronicle

New Yorkers Can Now Find the Best Bike Routes Online

A new web site that generates directions for cyclists could supplant the New York City Bike Map.

June 11, 2008 - Streetsblog

June is Public Participation in Urban Planning Month

Urban planning commentator Robert Goodspeed declares June "Public Participation in Urban Planning Month" and offers a four part series examining how technology and public participation might be more closely linked.

June 9, 2008 - The Goodspeed Update

Finding Ancient Cities Below the Surface

This slideshow form Popular Science takes a step-by-step look at how to detect and uncover ancient buried settlements from satellite imagery.

June 9, 2008 - Popular Science

Turning Garbage into Power

A new technology called plasma gasification may make landfills a thing of the past, and make city garbage collection a profitable service.

June 4, 2008 - Popular Science

Celebrating Buckminster Fuller

In expectation of a new exhibit opening at the Whitney Museum of Art, the New Yorker reflects on the curious life and career of Buckminster Fuller.

June 3, 2008 - The New Yorker

The Possibilities of 'Spime'

Noah Radford of Space Syntax gave an interesting presentation on the possible future of "spimes", objects like bricks that are given self-awareness in space and time (hence, spime) and what such objects might mean for future planning and design.

June 2, 2008 - Resources for Urban Design Information

Will Bay Area Transit Riders Get Wi-Fi?

BART, the region's rail transit agency, is negotiating with a private company to install a wireless network that would allow riders to check email and access the Internet.

May 28, 2008 - PC World

YouTube Exposing Cities' Traffic Problems

The video website YouTube is home to a growing number of clips that document traffic conditions in cities around the world.

May 21, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Cars Don't Cause Traffic, Drivers Do

Some planners hope that driverless car technology can finally put an end to traffic jams.

May 19, 2008 - The North County Times

Will Nissan Revive The Electric Car?

The automaker has announced plans for a fully-electric vehicle by 2010, and says it wants to lead the industry towards zero-emission vehicles.

May 13, 2008 - The New York Times

Sweden Tops All Nations As Climate-Friendly

One country stands out in Europe in surpassing the greenhouse gas emission reductions required by the Kyoto Protocol - Sweden. While it used several environmental technologies to achieve those reductions, experts give credit to its carbon tax.

May 10, 2008 - The Guardian

Is That A Bike In Your Pack?

A number of innovative new bicycle designs were on display at this year's International Bicycle Design Competition, including a bike that folds into its own backpack carrying case -- making it easy to take on public transit.

May 7, 2008 - Gizmag

Landfill Gas To Fuel Garbage Trucks

In an incredible recycling operation that reduces global warming, a waste hauler is building a facility to produce Liquefied Natural Gas from methane emitted from its California landfill to fuel its garbage trucks.

May 7, 2008 - The Sacramento Bee

Mission Possible?

Despite naysayers, Masdar City is moving forward. The goal: to be the world's first modern-day carbon-free city.

May 6, 2008 - National Public Radio

U.S. DOT Joins the Blogosphere

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters (or, more likely, her communications team) has taken up blogging, but the new PR outlet comes with a title that's not so friendly to all modes of transportation.

May 4, 2008 - Streetsblog

Feds Fund Chicago's Congestion Pricing Parking Plan

$153 million in congestion reduction funds that had been awarded to New York City will now go to Chicago to apply congestion pricing to street parking spaces. Funds will also go toward developing pilot Bus Rapid Transit routes on dedicated lanes.

May 1, 2008 - U.S DOT: Office of Public Affairs

Summer Heat May Thaw Frozen Winter Roads

Officials in the United Kingdom are looking at a new technique to deal with frozen winter roads -- by collecting and saving summer heat.

April 27, 2008 - The Guardian

The Challenge of Vertical Construction

A 17-story condominium tower in Boise, Idaho is being built on a 32-foot-wide footprint. Workers talk about the challenges of constructing such a skinny building.

April 23, 2008 - The Idaho Statesman

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.