Technology

China's Largest Online Retailer Using Artificial Intelligence to Tackle Congestion
A subsidiary of Alibaba, the massive online retailer, will deploy cloud computing and artificial intelligence to help relieve congestion in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hope for Public Transit
No, technology and private industry is not ending the need for public transit, according to Jarrett Walker.

South Carolinians Still on the Hook for Failed Nuclear Plants
“It has to be one of the greatest wastes of money in any state’s history,” Alan Greenblatt writes.

Report: How Can Cities Make Microtransit Work?
The Eno Center for Transportation looks at how on-demand transportation services can set themselves up to succeed, and learn from failed attempts.

'Electric Charge Network' to Install 7,500 New Charging Stations in California
One of California's three investor-owned utilities has announced an electric vehicle charging infrastructure program that will spend $130 million through 2020.

Bloomberg's 'What Works Cities' Initiative Now Has 100 Participants
The What Works Cities initiative has grown quickly since it launched in 2015.

Residents Move Into America's First Solar Powered Town
Residents will live in solar powered homes and ride around the community in self-driving, solar-powered shuttles. Babcock Ranch outside of Fort Myers, Florida, has been in the making since 2005. A city of 50,000 is forecasted.

Radar Speed Sign 2.0: How a Small Town Calmed Its Traffic
To get a handle on drivers whizzing through its main road, the small town of Betterton, Maryland installed a "smart" radar speed sign. The data it collected helped the local sheriff's department improve traffic enforcement.

10 Principles Toward More Sharing and Less Sprawl
A manifesto for street livability, health, and humanity in the era of driverless cars.

What the Largest Tech Confab of the Year Revealed About Self-Driving Cars
CES has wrapped up in Las Vegas, but not before event offered numerous experts a chance to prognosticate about the timeline for autonomous vehicles to arrive on the market.

'Textalyzers' Could Help Cops Bust Distracted Drivers
Chicago is one of the first cities to consider the use of "textalyzers," which would allow police officers to scan phones to see if they were in use during an accident.

Largest Desalinated Water Reserve Ever Unveiled in Abu Dhabi
The UAE has created a storage facility under the desert that can provide up to 100 million liters per day in the event of an emergency.

New Study Provides a Counter-Narrative for Ride-Hailing Companies
A new study finds evidence that ride-hailing trips are at least as efficient, and often more efficient, than private, personal automobile trips.

San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower Opens, Underwhelms
Of the city’s newest, tallest building John King writes, “[it’s] as if the creators were so busy being tasteful they forgot that big buildings can be fun."

Ford Developing a 'Transportation Mobility Cloud'
The future of every kind of vehicle—not just autonomous vehicles—will be built on technologies. Time will tell if Ford manages to corner the market on this particular form of transportation.

Regardless of Cost, New York Must Rehabilitate its Crown Jewel: the Subway
Depending on what's included, the cost to rebuild the ailing 665-mile system could be $111 billion, but the city's future depends on it. A feature-length New York Times Magazine piece looks at its history and suggests ways to finance rebuilding.

How an Urban Grid Becomes a Maze
Many rational, open grids can seem like a labyrinth to users. The labyrinth has emerged as an unplanned consequence of the evolution of cities, but solutions like GPS navigation and autonomous vehicles could mean relief.

'Tall Timber' May Be the Future of Building
Mass timber is a major structural element of an increasing number of skyscrapers, according to a CTBUH survey; now, the fire codes just have to follow.

Coming to L.A. Transit in 2018: Smartphone Fare Payment
Los Angeles is planning to join the ranks of cities that will allow transit fare payment by smartphone app. The scope of benefits offered by app-based fare payment is still under development.

U.S. on Track to Record Oil Production This Year
The current U.S. record is 10 million barrels per day set in 1970. Last year averaged 9.2 million b/d. Experts believe that record will be reached this spring, if it hasn't already. Can Trump claim credit for the surging production?
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