Technology

Ontario, Canada

Sidewalk Labs Opens House for its Toronto 'Smart City' Project

Sidewalk Labs has officially set up shop as Sidewalk Toronto, with a home base in Quayside, the waterfront district that the company is tasked with transforming in the image of a "smart city."

June 18, 2018 - The Toronto Star

Chicago Blue Line

Chicago's New Train to O'Hare Won't Be a Train—It's Elon Musk's 'Loop'

Loop, as in a derivation of Hyperloop, conceived by Elon Musk and to be built by his newest venture, The Boring Company, is the technology of choice for high-speed transit to O'Hare Airport.

June 16, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

How 5G Technology Can Enhances Security and Connectivity

Low-power wide-area (LPWA) networks can be a great solution for IoT applications that have low data rates, require long battery lives, use low-cost modules and operate in remote locations. These networks can support many different services for cities

June 15, 2018 - Iot Times

Grant Program Deploys Smart City Tech for a Variety of Purposes Around Georgia

A grant program under the direction of Georgia Tech, with support from Georgia Power and the Atlanta Regional Commission, among others, has awarded grants for the development of "smart community" technology.

June 15, 2018 - SaportaReport

Splash Park

Fertility Rates Are Down Where Home Prices Are Up

The economic recovery has not led to a baby recovery.

June 12, 2018 - Zillow Research

MIT

New Degree at MIT Combines Planning and Computer Science

This could be a sign of a deepening, but already inextricable, link between planning and the field of computer science.

June 12, 2018 - MIT News

Fiber Optic Cable

The 'Worst-Connected Cities' in the United States

Here are the cities where residents are the least likely to have a broadband Internet connection in their home.

June 9, 2018 - Route Fifty

Atlanta International Airport

Atlanta Eyes Airport Innovation Hub

The busiest airport in the world may also become a center for aviation innovation.

June 8, 2018 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Downtown Kansas City Missouri

Kansas City to Expand its 'Smart City' Tech

The 1960s had the space race, the 2010s has the smart cities race. Kansas City means to win this one.

June 8, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Japan

Japan Targeting 2020 Olympics for a Driverless Car System

Japan prioritizes technological advancement to grow its economy.

June 6, 2018 - Reuters

Autonomous Vehicle

Report Offers Guidance on 'Smart City' Investments

"The challenge of paying for smart cities projects" report by Deloitte recommends several steps for making the most of investments in "smart city" technology by city governments.

June 5, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Electric Charging Stations

China Will Drive Electric Vehicle Market

Two new reports on the outlook of electric vehicles paint a bright future for the new technology. No country is more critical than China, where policies will force global auto companies to invest in clean technology if they want to have a future.

June 4, 2018 - CNBC

Proterra Electric Bus

California to Invest $1 Billion in Electric Trucks, Buses, Charging Infrastructure

The investment comes not from the state legislature but from two regulatory bodies, the Air Resources Board and the Public Utilities Commission, authorizing the expenditure of VW settlement funds and utility ratepayer funds, respectively.

June 4, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Canada

20 Finalists Announced in the 'Canada Smart Cities Challenge'

The winner of the Grand Prize for the Canada Smart Cities Challenge will receive $50 million CAD ($38.5 million USD).

June 4, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Uber

Op-Ed: Designs for Uber's Skyports Fail on the Basics

The hulking structures proposed to handle UberAIR's fleet of flying taxis won't be able to serve 4,000 passengers per hour. And that's just one of their many deficiencies, Alissa Walker writes.

June 1, 2018 - Curbed

Quicken Loans

Dan Gilbert in His Own Words

At a recent public appearance, Dan Gilbert gave rare insight into the business success of Quicken Loans and its connection to the revitalization of Detroit.

June 1, 2018 - Detroit Free Press

Electric Scooter Share

Bad Break for Scooter Rental Company in its Hometown

Years before there was e-scooter-share, there was electric (Vespa-like) scooter-share in San Francisco by start-up Scoot. Now that they are ready to launch electric bikeshare, the city won't let them, unlike Barcelona, Spain where it began service.

May 31, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

The Boring Company

Elon Musk's 'Personal Rapid Transit' Plans Panned By Critics

The "Loop" is the latest manifestation of Elon Musk's transportation fantasies, offering "personal rapid transit" to and from anywhere in Los Angeles without any congestion or cost.

May 31, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Bus and Subway Times

The Best Planning Apps

Planetizen is pleased to present the best of the latest crop of mobile apps by planners and for planners.

May 31, 2018 - James Brasuell

Proterra Electric Bus

Report: Bus Transit 80% Electric by 2040

Analysts expect electric buses to be cheaper to operate than diesel buses by 2019.

May 27, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

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.