New Tool Facilitates Stunning City Comparisons

The creator of the TED conference has teamed up with Esri to develop an innovative interactive exhibit and online mapping tool to compare 16 global cities along 16 data points, including: population density, open space, and traffic.

1 minute read

July 12, 2013, 9:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

Urban Observatory

Richard Saul Wurman, the creator of the TED conference, has been interested in being able to compare cities at the same scale for more than 50 years. But only recently was he able to create a means to effectively, and attractively, display comparative patterns.

Wurman, Jon Kamen of Radical Media, and Esri president Jack Dangermond, have together created the Urban Observatory, "an immersive exhibit featuring standardized comparative data on over 16 cities. Zoom in on one city map and other cities will simultaneously zoom in at the same scale, making it possible to compare data on traffic density, vegetation, residential land use, and so on," says Ariel Schwartz.

"The Observatory features 16 data sets in five categories: work, movement, people, public, and systems. 'It’s shocking that it hasn’t been done 40 years ago, 50 years ago,' says Wurman."

FULL STORY: The Urban Observatory: A New Way To Compare Cities, From The Creator Of TED

Thursday, July 11, 2013 in Fast Company Co.Exist

Housing Infrastructure Land Use Social / Demographics Technology Transportation World Comparisons ESRI TED Radical Media The Urban Observatory View More

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