A crowdsourcing app allows citizens to hold the public realm to higher standards of access and mobility.
Josh Cohen reports that Project Sidewalk, a data gathering mobile app project led by University of Washington faculty and students, has launched in Seattle in the hopes of improving sidewalk conditions.
"First piloted in Washington, D.C., in 2016, Project Sidewalk launched the Seattle version in mid-April," according to Cohen. "The app relies on data generated by users reviewing the city’s sidewalks via Google Street View, an attempt to speed up city audits usually conducted by teams of city workers walking the streets with clipboard in hand."
Leading the University of Washington effort is Computer Science Professor Jon Froehlich, who tells Cohen that desired outcomes for Project Sidewalk include a better educated citizenry and political accountability in maintaining ADA compliant access in the public realm.
FULL STORY: Seattle's got terrible sidewalks. You can help fix them.
ADA Compliance Slowly Makes Headway
Decades of advocacy are paying off, but it often takes legal action to force cities to make accessibility improvements mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act over thirty years ago.
An App to Map the City's Most Accessible Routes
Google Maps is built for able-bodied people, but the AccessMap Seattle app is for everyone.
Court Decision Forces Seattle to Improve Sidewalk Infrastructure
The city of Seattle has finally been compelled to maintain pedestrian infrastructure in keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service