Technology
Only High Cost Premiums Can Make Urban Farming Pencil Out
Throwing cold water on the latest "techno-optimism" for indoor, urban agriculture.
Fixation On City Skylines Detracts From City Streets
City life happens at street level. But some of our most iconic images of cities are focused hundreds, or even thousands, of feet in the air. Our streetscapes are the worse off for it.
Seattle and Silicon Valley: Joined at the Hip?
Tech thrives on connection, and America's west coast tech hubs are more connected than ever before. But Seattleites aren't in a rush to abandon their city's distinctiveness.
In Europe, Self-Drivers Focus on Augmenting Transit
Unlike the American focus on luxury personal self-drivers, the European approach favors small self-driving buses that can ferry riders to larger transit lines.
A Scathing Critique of Elon Musk's Big Tunneling Idea
Not all ideas are worth attention. What does the fact that ideas like Elon Musk's The Boring Company get so much attention say about the quality of civic discourse, or the potential for planning to improve the built environment?
As a Driverless Future Dawns, Should We Still Build Parking?
No one is really sure how many parking spots the United States contains, but estimates stretch up to 2 billion.
Northeast is Next Market for Fuel Cell Vehicles
The only state where fuel cell electric vehicles can be leased is California where 30 hydrogen refueling stations exist now, with 100 planned to be in operation by 2020. Almost no public refueling stations exist elsewhere, but that's about to change.
Sunday Fun: Visualizing the Vibrations of Five Miles of Fiber Optic Cable
This new visualization helps us see the unseen: the underground fiber optic cables that lie beneath campus at Stanford University in California.
Friday Eye Candy: A Mobile App That Provides a Historic Window Into New York
The Urban Archive app will be popular with anyone interested in the history of New York City. Hopefully the idea spreads to other cities soon.
Uber App to Share Transit Departure Times
Uber recently announced a feature that could appease transit advocates concerned about the encroachment of transportation network companies on transit ridership.
The New Frontier of Internet-Enabled Cities Slated for Toronto
Sidewalk Labs is preparing to launch a big experiment on the smart cities concept.
Pokémon Go to Expand its Reach in the Community
The makers of Pokémon Go, touted for its potential to activate sedentary Americans since its release last year, will take more initiative to participate in community-based events.
Elon Musk Elaborates on His Plan for Tunnels Below Los Angeles
Considering it costs $1 billion per mile to dig L.A.'s subway tunnels, how does Elon Musk plan to build a series of car-carrying tunnels with out breaking the bank?
Making the Case for Wooden Buildings
Is mass timber the new frontier in low-carbon building? The National Building Museum's newest exhibition, Timber City, pays homage to the potential of tall timber structures which have strength comparable to steel.
What Will Los Angeles Will Do Next On Housing & Water? Look To Their Neighbors
The cities of Santa Monica, Culver CIty, West Hollywood, and Malibu are championing stormwater infrastructure, new public transit, affordable housing, and action on homelessness prevention.
EVs Not Exempt From California’s Transportation Infrastructure Plan
Governor Jerry Brown and the California Legislature reached a historic agreement to raise the gas tax, but electric vehicle owners will now be required to pay a yearly fee, Will this impact EV sales in the US's best market?
Bridj Comes to a Halt
Bridj's bet that it could, well, bridge ride-hailing and public transit didn't pay off. Lacking new investment, the company is shutting down.
Is this Any Way to Run a Subway?
In New York's subway, stations are not the only historic parts of the 113-year-old system. Essential communications infrastructure responsible for keeping the trains running belongs in a museum, explaining the cause of many recent delays.
Déjà Vu and the Dilemma for Planners
The future, once again, isn't living up to the expectations of planners. How should long-range planning work in a world that is more suburban and more auto-oriented than a generation of planners and urbanists expected?
What Would Delivery Robots Mean for Public Space?
If companies like Startship and Marble get their way, sidewalks will play host to hundreds of rolling delivery bots. It's one solution to "last-mile" logistics, but are pedestrians prepared to give way?
Pagination
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