Apps

As Director of Public Policy at Airbnb, Molly Turner has noticed she's the only planner in attendance at the Bay Area's myriad hackathons and conferences. As tech increasingly addresses urban issues, is it doomed to repeat planning's past mistakes?

July 27, 2013 - Next City

'Forget clipboards and cameras," says Heidi Moore. She spotlights six new apps (and five 'tried-and-tested' ones) that can solve your measuring, note-taking, and networking needs on your phone.

July 11, 2013 - Architect

As more governments embrace civic hackathons as a way to tap enthusiastic young software developers quickly and cheaply, a backlash to these "app-developing marathons" is growing along with them. Does their local focus doom them to irrelevance?

July 7, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Looking for some design inspiration? The editors of ArchDaily have put together a list if the 25 top feeds to follow on Instagram.

July 5, 2013 - ArchDaily

With a new pilot program, New York City is joining the growing list of cities launching apps to connect drivers to public parking spaces. A new app, called PayByPhone, will let drivers find and pay for parking from their phones.

April 11, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

886 projects have been entered in a $5 million competition organized by the Knight News Challenge to find the best ideas for making the places we live "more awesome through data and technology." The Atlantic Cities shares 12 of their favorites.

March 26, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

While experts opine on what the city of the future will look like, Santander "has surged to the forefront of those aspiring to be smart." With 10,000 sensors collecting data and a custom app serving residents, the city is showing how smart is done.

March 15, 2013 - Spiegel Online

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is looking to technology to help Americans learn more about fair housing practices and make it easier to file complaints about discrimination.

March 5, 2013 - The Washington Post

Looking for a stimulating way to waste some time this afternoon? A new game from the inventive software developers at Code for America will test how well you know your city - down to the neighborhood.

February 15, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

In an essay for Next City, Juan-Pablo Velez, member of the Chicago-based civic tech collective Open City, explains the rationale behind their latest project, which aims to make the city's zoning "digestible by humans."

February 8, 2013 - Next City

Transit schedules, especially for buses, are notoriously inaccurate. A new app seeks to give a better picture of the status of the bus or train you keep trying to spot in the distance.

January 19, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Some of the most popular apps - from Google Maps to Yelp - let you take the guesswork out of planning your urban agenda. But for those that still want to experience the delight of spontaneous discovery, a new generation of app will help you get lost.

January 10, 2013 - POLIS

A new app from the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation culls publicly available information to give you a graphically pleasing "cultural and demographic snapshot of your surroundings," writes Ariel Schwartz.

January 8, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

A new interactive app produced by the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and Second Story Interactive Studios compiles and exhibits examples of "alternative and radical approaches to sustainability at a range of urban scales."

November 12, 2012 - Architizer

A free digital toolkit allowing communities to collect, analyze, and share their own data will be launched nationally at the end of the year.

October 11, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Design

Lissette Valdez looks at two new applications that are helping to blur the lines between digital and hand drawn designs.

October 10, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Ted Mann explores the new wave of mobile applications changing the way cabs and their customers interact, which could make the act of physically hailing a cab obsolete in as soon as five years.

September 25, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The nonprofit Code for America (CfA) gets a laudatory write-up by Holly Finn in The Wall Street Journal for bringing transparency and innovation to local governments with stealth teams of "computer-savvy SEALs."

August 27, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan discusses the launch of Designing Chicago, an "unusual" Kickstarter campaign intended to utilize the brains and wallets of the city's residents to create an app covering the city’s various systems of public transportation.

July 19, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Design

After aiding in the dissolution of Egypt's authoritarian regime, social media is being enlisted to tackle a more formidable obstacle: easing its capital city's traffic, reports Noel King.

May 22, 2012 - Good