With 80 percent of our passenger capacity empty, Jenny O'Brien discusses the potential of hitchhiking apps as a transportation solution in a recent TEDxKC talk.
Frustrated by the lack of transportation options in her small town of Lawrence, Kansas, Jenny O'Brien decided to take matters into her own hands and stop waiting for the government or public entities to alleviate the situation.
With a focus on moving people instead of moving cars, Jenny O'Brien introduces her "single-digit" transportation solution, hitchhiking. Currently, one of the main objections to picking up hitchhikers is the lack of knowledge and trust, leading to fear among drivers. However, with the rise of the $26 billion peer-to-peer sharing economy, the potential to change these objections exists.
By using feedback, profiles, and reviews, O'Brien has built an application to transform random hitchhikers into trusted strangers. Throughout 150 test rides, the average waiting time is 7 minutes. The application is currently available only in Lawrence, Kansas.
FULL STORY: Single Digit Transportation Solution | Jenny O'Brien | TEDxKC
Social Media Apps Put Ride Sharing on the Map
Ride share websites and mobile apps take the guesswork out of finding a ride and move social networking offline and onto the open road, fueling a revival of car-pooling, reports Mickey Meece.
Urban Planning Creators You Should Know in 2024
Whether you’re a TikTok enthusiast or a Substack reader, you can find plenty of valuable and engaging urban planning content in the new media landscape.
Leveraging Social Media for Citizen Engagement in Urban Planning
Discover how urban planners can use social media to enhance citizen engagement, featuring strategies for interactive communication and community involvement in urban development projects.
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.
Downtown Los Angeles on the Rise: A Promising 2025
Fueled by new developments, cultural investments, and a growing dining scene, downtown Los Angeles is poised for significant growth in 2025, despite challenges from recent wildfires and economic uncertainties.
Report: Transportation Equity Requires More Than Electrification
Lower-income households often lack the resources to buy electric cars, signaling a need for a more holistic approach to improving mobility and lowering transportation costs.
Supporting Indigenous Land Reclamation Through Design
Harvard students collaborated with the Sac and Fox Nation to develop strategies for reclaiming and co-managing ancestral lands in Illinois, supporting Indigenous sovereignty through design, cultural storytelling, and economic planning.
A Plan to Expand Tree Canopy Across Dayton
Dayton is developing an urban forest master plan, using a $2 million grant to expand its tree canopy, address decades of tree loss, and enhance environmental equity across the city.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
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