Technology

Sustainable: Buzz Killing the Buzz Word

In his commentary, Rob Steuteville questions whether we should work toward sustaining what we have, or building a more resilient future.

April 12, 2010 - New Urban News

Cable Cars See Increased Usage As Transit In Developing World

Low-cost, high capacity urban gondolas and cable cars are being successfully used as public transit and tools of urban revitalization in Colombia, Algeria and other parts of the developing world.

April 11, 2010 - www.TheCityFix.com

How the Internet is Improving Your Walkshed

Worldchanging's Alex Steffen reflects on the increasing impact of Internet-enabled information sharing at the community level, and suggests that it's helping to make neighborhoods more walkable.

April 11, 2010 - WorldChanging

China Tells CA: We'll Build Your Trains

A number of foreign countries and firms are jockeying to build high-speed rail in California, but the Chinese government is proposing that they cover some of the financing as well.

April 8, 2010 - The New York Times

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.

April 8, 2010 - Streetsblog

The Future of the Urban Biking Experience

Treehugger lists five of the coming innovations that experts expect to revolutionize urban bicycling.

April 7, 2010 - Treehugger

The Evolution of GIS

Thomas L. Millette looks back at how far GIS has come, and how it has become an essential tool for urban planning.

April 6, 2010 - Planning Commissioners Journal

Combined NHTSA & EPA Standards for New Cars Issued

Normally fuel economy standards are set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Due to the 2007 Supreme Court ruling on the Clean Air Act, the new rules are jointly issued by the EPA to regulate tailpipe emissions as well as CAFE.

April 5, 2010 - Union Of Concerned Scientists

What Can A Planner Learn From 2 Hours on Chatroulette?

Jennifer Evans-Cowley, Phd, AICP, spends a couple of hours exploring the phenomenon that is chatroulette.com. Chatroulette sets you up to videochat with a complete stranger. Are there applications for the future of public participation in planning?

April 5, 2010 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Cities Breaking New Ground in Social Media

A growing number of cities and towns in the Atlanta area are not only using social media, but using it innovatively, reports Shane Blatt.

April 3, 2010 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Renovating Chicago's Union Station

Chicago's Union Station is announcing a potential upgrade in order to prepare for future high speed rail construction, says The Christian Science Monitor.

April 2, 2010 - The Christian Science Monitor

Five Things You Need To Know About High-Speed Rail

To inaugurate the launch of our new website with exclusive coverage of high-speed rail, we asked David J. Carol, Market Leader of High-Speed Rail at Parsons Brinkerhoff to tell us what we need to know about the U.S.'s exciting new endeavor.

April 1, 2010 - David J. Carol

Gaps in Video Security in New York Subway System

Recent attacks in the Moscow subway system highlight concerns in New York City, where a closed circuit security camera system still has many gaps.

March 31, 2010 - The New York Times

Making Public Spending Public

In an effort to improve accountability, more government agencies are freeing data about public expenditures.

March 30, 2010 - Next American City

Big Dip in Traffic Fatalities

A preliminary count of all road fatalities in 2009 shows a record low figure of 33,963; almost 9% lower than 2008. The final count is due this summer. While the declining VMT due to a depressed economy was a major factor, the rate declined as well.

March 28, 2010 - The New York Times - Wheels

Traffic Survey Paints Picture of New York City Congestion

Through a survey of New York City taxis with GPS tracking devices, the city has created a database of speeds and routes that gives them a clear picture of the state of traffic in the city.

March 26, 2010 - The New York Times

Tech Tools Have Revolutionary Potential for Cities

Governing's Stephen Goldsmith looks at the trend of smart phone applications related to city governance and civic improvement. He sees huge potential in these early stages of a trend that's likely to experience exponential growth.

March 25, 2010 - Governing

Maps, Apps, and Food

Yahoo has released a new iPhone app that allows users to draw a circle on a map around the area he or she wants to search.

March 24, 2010 - The Christian Science Monitor

City Stunts Try to Lure Fiber Optic Internet

A handful of American cities are hoping to become testing grounds for a new fiber optic Internet connection being offered by Google. To catch the company's eye, many of these cities are making concerted -- and sometimes audacious -- efforts.

March 23, 2010 - NPR

People Rarely Leave 6-Mile Circle

In a study in Europe using cellphone GPS data, researchers discovered that people rarely leave a six-mile area around where they live. GPS cellphone data is being used for a host of urban planning studies like this.

March 22, 2010 - Planning Commissioners Journal

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.