Technology

World's Largest Carbon Capture and Storage Project Breaks Ground in Texas

Construction began July 16 on the Petra Nova project, 27 miles from Houston. President Obama and many climate experts are banking on CCS to mitigate carbon emissions from the world's largest source of carbon emissions: coal burning power plants.

July 22, 2014 - Reuters

Time to Find a Better Word than 'Sharing' for the New Economy

Abigail Zenner writes of the need to find new nomenclature, instead of "sharing," for transportation network companies like Uber, or sharing economy darlings like Airbnb.

July 21, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

Google Maps Store

New Zoning Query App Answers the Question: 'Where Can I Open My Business?'

A new app called ZoningCheck provides users a responsive query function. In addition to the obvious layer of bureaucratic interface saved by the process, the app also makes a compelling case for the benefits of open municipal codes.

July 21, 2014 - TechRepublic

How Apps Can Help Track How Angelenos Move

In a review of the iPhone app Human, Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau examines how the daily movement of residents can be measured.

July 20, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Post-Car? Helsinki's Plans for a Tech-Enabled Mobility Network

Helsinki, capital of Finland's, is working to create a "mobility on demand" system that integrates shared and public transit in a single payment network. The idea is that with such a system in place, residents would no longer need cars.

July 16, 2014 - Guardian Cities

An App that Calculates the Most Beautiful Route

New in flaneur-enabling technology: a team of intrepid aesthetes in Barcelona is working on a new app that would advance GPS mapping tools by providing the most beautiful route to a destination, rather than the shortest or least congested route.

July 15, 2014 - MIT Technology Review

Op-Ed: Comprehensive Plan Needed to Replace Dallas' Aging Traffic Lights

An editorial calls for a comprehensive plan to address Dallas' growing need to overhaul its streetlights—80 percent of which are now older than their recommended 25-year life span.

July 14, 2014 - Dallas News

Holy Autonomous Bicycles Batman!

Recent reports reveal that a Chinese Internet search company known as Baidu is developing a bicycle that will ride itself. The technology could be game changer in Asia—China, for instance, has 551 million bike riders.

July 11, 2014 - Tech In Asia

Benefits of Uber in Philadelphia: Reduced Drunk Driving

While much of the concern of how to regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar comes down to questions about safety and access, recent findings show that the apps have reduced DUI arrests in the City of Brotherly Love.

July 9, 2014 - PlanPhilly

Google maps screengrab of the United States

Friday Funday: New Google Maps Game Tests Your Geography Knowledge

If you're obsessed with trivia and maps, prepare to lose some hours.

July 4, 2014 - CityLab

Transportation Network Companies Struggling with ADA Compliance

Ted Trautman provides a thorough investigation of the actions (or lack thereof) of transportation network companies to provide access for customers with special needs.

July 3, 2014 - Next City

Does the 'Playable City' Improve the 'Smart City'?

Conceived as a counterpoint to the "smart city," the "playable city" would think beyond efficiency and utility in applying technology to the urban experience.

June 30, 2014 - Next City

New Maps Compare Travel Times by Mode

Want to know the fastest way to get where you're going? You Are Here has created a new visualization tool that shows you the fastest mode for your trip in 11 cities.

June 28, 2014 - You Are Here

Biking as a Late 19th Century 'Emblem of Women's Rights'

Writing for The Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance details how the bicycle paved the way for many liberating political advancement for women.

June 27, 2014 - The Atlantic

Planning Education: Made in China?

A high school field trip in China that is hard to imagine in the United States.

June 26, 2014 - Lisa Feldstein

'Urban Reviewer' Archives New York City's 155 Neighborhood Master Plans

The 596 Acres project to catalogue and improve vacant, publicly owned lots in New York City produced another great tool called the Urban Reviewer, which gathers all of New York's adopted neighborhood master plans in one place.

June 25, 2014 - CityLab

San Francisco Parking

Monkey Parking is Monkey Business, Warns San Francisco City Attorney

A "cease-and-desist letter" was sent June 23 to MonkeyParking, a Rome-based tech startup that developed and markets an app that allows motorists to auction public parking spaces beginning at $5. The city attorney demanded shut-down by July 11.

June 25, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Traffic Lights

'Consider the Traffic Light'

Dan Saffer asks us to consider the traffic light—and there's plenty to think about.

June 24, 2014 - Wired

Why Would Anyone Want a Smart Home?

A tech columnist reviews the current state of smart home technology and finds that improvements will be necessary before widespread adoption can be expected.

June 24, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

SFPark Releases Data on Two-Year Pilot Phase

The SFPark two-year pilot has concluded, and the city recently released comprehensive data that make a good case for its success in almost every possible metric of parking management. Now can the city expand the program?

June 24, 2014 - S.F. Streetsblog

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.