IBM put some of their expert engineers on loan for three weeks to the city of Boston to analyze current traffic data feeds (yes, this includes Twitter), resulting in new tools to help curb congestion.
We may soon have access to a new kind of traffic app on our mobile devices that will provide more innovative real-time traffic data, writes Barb Darrow. Recently, the city of Boston won the "Smart Cities Challenge", a competition which awards its winners with $50 million worth in technological services to offer new solutions to manage growth and efficiency.
IBM staff submitted their findings to Boston City Hall, and presented the idea of creating a new app that would utilize various sources of traffic data to assist commuters in making more informed travel decisions from moment to moment. "There are literally millions of data points per second - from GPS and cellphone technology - that can be analyzed and made intelligent," Steve Wysmuller, an IBM Global Services exec, told the Globe.
Ranking tenth on IBM's list of the "most-car-choked U.S. cities," Boston is a clear candidate for improved traffic management services. This new app, which is slated for review and testing in the near future, could be a highly effective tool for planners to lead the way to more efficient traffic calming.
FULL STORY: Can IBM eggheads slay Boston’s traffic woes?
Transportation Agencies: Improve Your Models or Hire More Lawyers
Transportation models are biased in ways that result in inefficient, unfair and environmentally harmful planning decisions. Improve your analysis or prepare to be sued.
Planning Trends for 2025: Creative Housing Solutions, Ongoing Transit Woes, and the Ever-Creeping Tentacles of AI
Urban planners have no shortage of urgent issues to delve into, from a deepening housing crisis to an increasingly unpredictable climate to a new federal administration bent on slashing key funding for everything from electric cars to housing assistance.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research