Technology
Miss the Subway? There's an App for That
The NYC Subway Sounds app is a great tool for dealing with nostalgia for the old ways of life.
New Ideas in Urban Research
Findings from graduating doctoral students undertaking urban-related research.
The Delivery App Revolt
For many Americans living through the social distancing and stay-at-home-orders of 2020, supporting local businesses means cutting out the tech middle man.
Scenario Planning for Pandemic Recovery
The planner who wrote the book on the emerging practice of scenario planning offers advice on how the tool can be helpful in planning for the pandemic.
Unreliable Data, Contract Issues Slow San Diego's Smart Streetlights Program
A public-private partnership between the city of San Diego and GE Current to develop a smart streetlights program started in 2017 has not lived up to expectations three years and $300 million dollars later.
Can the Scooter Business Outlast the Coronavirus?
It's the end of the scooter as we know it.
Job Losses Strike a Blow to Gig Economy Darlings
Uber and Airbnb both announced massive layoffs this week, after Lyft did the same last week, as the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on very contemporary corners of the economy.
Sidewalk Labs Cancels Smart City Plans for Quayside on Toronto Waterfront
The high-profile experiment in smart city planning and technology seems to have suffered a final setback.
No More Large Conferences and Trade Shows This Year
Don’t delude yourself. The likelihood that we attend large conferences and trade shows this year in the same way as before is slim to none.
Urban Planning Resources for COVID-19
Online misinformation has been unavoidable, but the Internet is also full of tools essential for understanding the changed world of COVID-19.
Los Angeles Public Schools Transition to Emergency Relief, Distance Learning
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner on the extensive and unprecedented challenges the district—its students, families, faculty and staff—face in the transition to remote ‘distance learning.’
States to Train Public Health Armies to Move Beyond Mitigation to Containment
As some governors open nonessential businesses, subjecting workers and customers to potential viral infection, others move beyond social distancing to the next steps, boxing in the coronavirus with testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine.
Is it Time to Revive the Pattern Language?
Software and other fields have made brilliant progress with the pattern language methodology, while built environment fields lag badly, mired in parochial debates over the massive book that invented the methodology.
Watch: The Future of Cities After COVID-19
An expert panel convened to discuss the effect of the coronavirus on the foundations of society and contemporary life. The future, both the remaining time dealing with the pandemic and after, is becoming more clear with every passing day and week.
The U.S. Passed a Clean Energy Stimulus in 2009—Can the Same Happen in 2020?
The Obama-era American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funded clean energy and created jobs during the Great Recession. Will clean energy be considered in a future stimulus bill to mitigate economic strain cased by the coronavirus pandemic?
Concern About the Direction of the Next Federal Stimulus Bill
Congressional leaders are discussing the shape and size of the next federal stimulus bill. The following critique argues that the next bill should do more to expand testing, contact tracing, and quarantine capacity at the state level.
A Rare Chance for Urban Innovation
The realities of social distancing are allowing for innovations and experimentations with real opportunities for long-term benefit in cities, according to an article by Allison Arieff.
Ups and Downs for Self-Driving Cars During the Pandemic
While some driverless car companies have expanded operations in the past month, some industry observers caution that the business of autonomous vehicles remains stuck in neutral.
Overcoming Social Distance
People are finding new ways to connect digitally across physical spaces during the coronavirus pandemic, and these temporary solutions could have a lasting impact on the way we live.
Even Parks Are Going Online During the Pandemic
Parks departments in New York City and Pittsburgh are offering videos and livestreams to cooped-up residents.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
