Technology
Why Some Smart Home Gadgets Are Dumb
An article in Quartz laments the underwhelming results of a generation of gadgets intended to make houses technologically enabled.
Upstart Uber Competitor Will Offer Equity to Drivers
Juno, a new transportation network company launching to a small group of testers in New York this month, is hoping to shake up the business model adopted by its predecessors in the field.
D.C. Metro Changes Arrival Estimation Technology
It's the details of transit apps that matter to users, so the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) just made a change of technology provider that will help make it easier to accurately predict bus arrival times.
Making Sense of Median Rent Statistics
Amid the ubiquitous, and inconsistent, reportage on rising rents and housing prices, a guide from City Observatory helps point readers toward the most accurate numbers.
Let's Talk About Civic Crowdfunding and Government Responsibility
A reply to skeptics about the democratic power and potential of civic crowdfunding platforms.
Scraping Social Media to Analyze Public Engagement
Planners are increasingly using social media for public engagement. How can you analyze what people are saying? NodeXL is an easy to use free tool for scraping and analyzing social media. I use this tool to report from the APA National Conference.
Study: Self-Driving Cars Likely to Restore 70% of Lost Faith in Humanity
A new study also finds reason to believe that self-driving cars will make everyone nicer and generally more affable that any point in human history since the advent of the car.
Open Data Tool Boosts TOD in Chicago
A "TOD Calculator" developed by a Chicago non-profit promises to deliver quantifiable, digestible data on the community impacts of transit-oriented development.
Saving Coastal Cities from Climate Change
A new whitepaper outlines solutions for improving the resiliency and sustainability of coastal cities around the world—using Red Hook, Brooklyn as a case study.
Op-Ed: Tech Can Enhance Parks
In the traditional view, nature and digital technology clash. But for many people, tech can offer ways to better engage with parks.
Meet Flow: Google's Transportation Data Revolution
Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs is readying a product called Flow to help cities and counties make the most of transportation data. The news is another step along the path to a future version of transportation.
New York Subway Service Lags as Ridership Grows
Increasing ridership, coupled with decreasing service, means a very crowded subway system in New York City.
A Detroit Design School Seeks a Seat at the Table
Academic institutions can play a major role in enriching the communities they operate in. Amy Deines, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, discusses the city and school's trajectory.
No Business as Usual in an Autonomous Vehicle Future
Among the reasons to reconsider new investments in expanded roadway capacity: the impending revolution in transportation that will arrive when cars start driving themselves.
U.S. Won Space Race but Lost High Speed Rail Race
The U.S. ranked 19 out of 20 for countries with high speed rail service according to a new survey by GoEuro.
Anchorage Updates Land Use Plan Map
After 34 years the Municipality of Anchorage is updating its land use plan map, a companion piece to its comprehensive plan adopted in 2001. The land use plan map sets the stage for future growth and development in this Northern City of 301,000.
U.S. DOT Making a National Transit Map
Transportation Secretary Antony Foxx called on local transit agencies earlier this month to share data to be used in building a comprehensive map of the nation's transit lines.
'Drive Clean Seattle' Would Put 15,000 Electric Cars on The Road
Mayor Ed Murray will start with Seattle's own fleet in replacing existing buses, cars, and trucks with electric vehicles.
Humanizing Tech in New York City
Rapid technological change has brought incredible opportunities as well as challenges to cities around the world. NYC's Chief Technology Officer and Director of Innovation discuss how the City is leveraging technology for improving city life.
How Gaming Can Revolutionize Planning
The new game Block’Hood seeks to illustrate and educate about the connection between sustainability and social and economic needs in city and neighborhood building.
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
