Data
The Big Picture for 311 Data
Steven Johnson examines how officials in New York and other cities can leverage information collected from public call centers to build better cities.
Evidence-Based Urban Planning
In a field such as planning that is rich with quantifiable data, why there so little focus on evidence rather than opinion?, wonders researcher Martin Laplante.
The American Parks Database
A new report from the Trust for Public Lands provides detailed and comprehensive data on city park systems in the U.S.
Turning Cities into Software
Many have called for "urban operating systems" to streamline how cities work, but few ideas have really taken hold. One small start-up, however, is making strides in developing that concept.
Britain's WiFi Networks Mapped
Search giant Google has mapped the location of every WiFi network in Britain. Some say the collection of this information is a violation of privacy.
The Data-Driven Key to Unlocking New York's Congestion
Wired profiles Charles Komanoff, who's hoping to use his immense spreadsheet of New York City traffic data to clear the city's congestion.
Stats Systems to See Upgrade in Federal Budget
This post from The New Republic explains how the federal budget includes plans to upgrade some of the varied parts that track statistics in the country.
What Can Taxi Data Tell Us About NYC Streets?
New York City has GPS data from tens of thousands of taxis and is beginning to mine that information to improve its streets. We talked to some transportation experts for their ideas on how to use it.
New Scorecard From NY DOT: Driving in Decline, Safety Improvements Work
New York City's second annual Sustainable Streets Index adds a wealth of data in support of green transportation and street safety.
CTA Opens Transit Data
The Chicago Transit Authority is opening up its transit arrival data to web developers, spurring what officials and riders hope will be the creation of new tools to make riding transit in the city easier.
Making Government Data Sexy
A flood of government data is going public, but on its own it is relatively boring and useless. A flood of new data visualization tools are hoping to change that.
New York City's Data Collection Chopped in Half
New York City has for decades collected data about itself through more than 2,500 statistical indicators. But now, that number has been chopped down to about 1,200. Officials say it creates a streamlined look at the city, but others call it a loss.
To Share or Not to Share? The Great Transit Data Debate
Some transit agencies keep it under wraps, while others share it widely. Three cities in the U.S. show how the availability of transit arrival data is a wild frontier.
Monitoring Traffic Conditions With Lamppoles
Researchers in the U.K. are proposing a plan to utilize streetlamp infrastructure to install traffic monitoring devices in an effort to collect more information and aid transportation planners.
Google Takes Government Data Public
A new search tool from Google makes it easy to find public information, a move the company hopes will encourage governments to be more transparent with their data.
YouTube For Your Data: Many Eyes on Obama & McCain
Is it possible to condense two weeks of soaring rhetoric by politicians into a single graphic? Let's find out. In my last post I covered free online tools for creating information graphics. Here is a look at another free online tool that can be used to easily create sophisticated visualizations and information graphics.
San Francisco Locked Out of Own Data By Disgruntled Employee
A systems admin in San Francisco apparently decided to bring San Francisco grinding to a halt, and refuses to divulge the passwords he set up across the city's entire network.
The Possibilities of 'Spime'
Noah Radford of Space Syntax gave an interesting presentation on the possible future of "spimes", objects like bricks that are given self-awareness in space and time (hence, spime) and what such objects might mean for future planning and design.
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
