Technology

Uber Protest

Uber and Lyft Could Be Ready to Exit Chicago, Too

After leaving Austin on the losing side of a regulatory battle, a licensing ordinance might push Uber and Lyft to end operations in Chicago.

May 27, 2016 - Chicago Sun-Times

Driving

Planning for the Future: How Do We Evaluate Impacts in a World of Uncertainty?

Will planning horizons of 25 to 30 years make sense as transportation technology speeds through unprecedented rates of innovation?

May 27, 2016 - Steven Polzin

Electric Car

One Utility's Plan to Build Thousands of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Southern California Edison wants to add 1,500 public charging stations to its service area, potentially expanding the effort to 30,000 charging stations if all goes well.

May 26, 2016 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Mexico Border

Critiquing Uber's Cross-Border Service from San Diego to Baja California

In Mach, Uber launched Passport, a service allowing cross-border service from San Diego to any location in the northern Baja California region. A columnist's experiment with the service reveals more PR effort than mobility service.

May 24, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Beverly Hills Planning for Self-Driving Shuttles, Connecting to Transit

A city known for its opposition to transit might be on the cutting edge of first-last mile technology innovation.

May 20, 2016 - Fast Co.Exist

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Portland Digs Into Data on Seismic Vulnerabilities

With an earthquake due to shake up the Pacific Northwest in the not so distant future, Portland has provided an online map to identify potentially vulnerable buildings in danger of suffering major damage when the big one hits.

May 19, 2016 - The Oregonian

Rent

The eBay for Apartments Is Here

A San Francisco startup will allow landlords to auction long-term rental leases to competing bidders online.

May 17, 2016 - SF Gate

Electronic Waste

Activists Track America's Electronic Waste

When a watchdog group partnered with MIT to install trackers on a batch of e-waste, the results were sobering. Much of the haul left the country, ending up in Asian junkyards where unknowing workers are exposed to toxic substances.

May 16, 2016 - KUOW

Hyperloop One Hails its 'Kitty Hawk' Moment in the Nevada Desert

PBS kicks off its new science and technology series with a look at just what happened in the desert with MIT's Hyperloop team. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien likens the week's events more to the "glider moment" preceding Kitty Hawk.

May 13, 2016 - PBS NewsHour

Uber Car

Could Uber End 'Surge' Pricing?

Anyone who has used Uber knows the dreaded surge. But before the self-driving cars take over the wheel at transportation network companies, will the machines also figure out a way to eliminate one of the key perks of being an Uber driver?

May 11, 2016 - MPR News

Chicago Bikers

Get Around Chicago Like an Insider with 20 Apps

These 20 apps and services will help you engage with everything Chicago has to offer in a whole new way.

May 10, 2016 - Netted

Twitter Headquarters

Top Twitter Feeds

Some of the most active and valued Twitter users in the planning and urbanism conversation share their favorite Twitter feeds.

May 9, 2016 - James Brasuell

Uber Sidecar Lyft

Your Next Lyft Ride May Not Have a Driver

The self-driving car of the future is getting closer to becoming a reality, with GM and Lyft partnering to launch autonomous vehicles for the ride-hailing service within the year.

May 9, 2016 - San Jose Mercury News - Silicon Beat

The Greening of Large Trucks Begins at California's Ports

A Planetizen blog post by Casey Brazeal asks, "When will the trucking industry electrify?" Three truck manufacturers and electric truck builder BYD Motors are now in competition thanks to a $23.6 million state grant to the South Coast Air District.

May 9, 2016 - Fleet Owner

Pierce Transit

Pierce Transit Lets You 'Build Your Own Transit System'

For feedback on a system overhaul, Pierce Transit in Washington is asking residents to design their own transit system through an interactive survey.

May 9, 2016 - The Urbanist

Seeing Eye People

Safety Improvements for Texters Around the World

Cities are experimenting with safety measures for pedestrians who text while they walk, but the projects could benefit everyone.

May 8, 2016 - The Guardian

Mobile Engagement

6 Trends in Online Community Engagement: the Good and the Bad

With the constellation of civic technologies, like online community engagement platforms, growing quickly, it's important to recognize the positive and negative consequences of new practices in community engagement.

May 6, 2016 - Dave Biggs

Pumping Gas

Gas Delivery Straight to Your Vehicle. What Could Go Wrong?

Cities and fire departments around the country are struggling with the sudden explosion of start-ups promising to make your life easier by delivering gasoline straight to your vehicle.

May 5, 2016 - Bloomberg

Lyft

Should Governments Subsidize Uber and Lyft Connections to Transit?

According to a new report from the Center for American Progress, technology network companies like Uber and Lyft offer a unique opportunity for low-income users to connect with transit routes and on to greater economic opportunities.

May 5, 2016 - Center for American Progress

Honolulu Train

First Look at Honolulu's New Driverless Rail Cars

The nation's first driverless train car was unveiled this week in Hawaii.

May 4, 2016 - Pacific Business News

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.