Technology

Cities Try Online Fix For Parking Crunch

The City of Santa Monica, California, provides real-time parking availability information on the Internet in hopes of relieving traffic problems from motorists circling for a parking space.

November 24, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

Paris Wants To Woo The 'Creative Class'

Once a magnet for writers, painters and other artistic types, Paris' Mayor wants the city to attract the laptop toting young bohemians that represent the new 'creative class'.

November 15, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

Geneva's 9-Point Plan To Stay The Global Governance Capital

A group of urban experts has released a plan to keep Geneva at the forefront of international affairs and governance. Included in the plan is a call to ensure the city's compatibility with technology and information media.

November 14, 2006 - SwissInfo

How Google Earth Is Transforming Architecture

Technology such as Google Earth is dramatically transforming how the public perceives architecture and how architects design buildings.

November 13, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

The Emerging Virtual Worlds

Industry observers are linking the emergence of place-based 3-D virtual worlds like Second Life, to the next generation of the Internet. IBM is the first major forunte 500 company to make a major investment in the technology.

November 13, 2006 - eWeek

How Cities Compete In The Media Economy

American cities suffer from outdated infrastructure that inhibits the local economy and quality of life. Those cities that can evolve to meet the needs of the information age will be the ones to prosper immensely in the next 10-20 years.

November 13, 2006 - Neil Takemoto, Mike Lydon

San Francisco To Implement Bus Rapid Transit Service By 2010

While late to adopt bus rapid transit, San Francisco's Muni is planning to bring fully-fledged BRT lines, complete with dedicated lanes, to the city by 2010.

November 9, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Microsoft Launches 3D City Maps

In a challenge to the popular Google Earth, Microsoft has released a new technology that allows users to view 3D models of cities.

November 9, 2006 - CNET News

The Next Generation of Elevators

With skyscrapers in Dubai and around the world pushing ever higher, engineers are introducing new elevators that save space and reduce waiting times.

November 6, 2006 - ITP Business

Using Google Earth To Illustrate A Comprehensive Plan

A team in Durango, Colorado, uses Google Earth to visualize the city's preferred development scenario, and produces an YouTube instructional video.

November 6, 2006 - City of Durango

Using Google Earth and Sketchup To Visualize Development Proposals

Anthony Townsend experiments with two powerful tools from Google that make it possible to visualize the view impacts of a new 26-story building in New York.

October 26, 2006 - Institute for the Future

Michigan Dairy Farm To Produce Energy From Manure

A grant has been awarded to a large dairy operation in a Michigan County to build a bio-digester to both produce electricity and reduce pollution that officials hope will become widespread in the future.

October 26, 2006 - Muskegon Chronicle

The Bus Rapid Transit Of The Future

Plans for a new futuristic mode of transport blends maglev technology with an ordinary bus.

October 8, 2006 - The Economist

Global Civilization or Bust?

Science and technology gurus convened at Wired Magazine's NextFest forum in New York to share startling visions of life -- or not -- in the 22nd century.

October 7, 2006 - LiveScience

Google Launches Transit Mapping Service

Google is testing its new transit trip planning service in six U.S. cities.

September 28, 2006 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Uruguay: Latin America's New Outsourcing Capital

With a population of only three million, Uruguay has rapidly become Latin America's outsourcing hub. In partnership with one of India's largest technology consulting firms, engineers in Montevideo work while their counterparts in Mumbai sleep.

September 26, 2006 - The New York Times

The Putzmeister And The Tower

An interactive diagram that explains how the world's second largest concrete building is being built with the help of the Putzemeister, a small but integral part of the building's construction.

September 25, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

Benefits Of Plug-In Hybrids Overrated

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles have been promoted as achieving over 100 mpg. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy reports on the energy and emissions benefits of this new technology, showing it varies on geography and technology.

September 25, 2006 - American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy News Release

Boston Sidewalks May Go Rubber

The Boston City Council is considering an initiative that would require all new sidewalks in the city to be rubberized, using tiles of recycled tires as the city's walkways. Concrete cracking from tree root growth could become a thing of the past.

September 16, 2006 - The Boston Globe

Carbon Sequestration In the North Sea

Norway's oil giant Statoil has been injecting carbon dioxide deep into the North Sea floor for 10 years as a carbon sequestration method intended to reduce its "carbon dioxide taxes" to the Norwegian government.

September 15, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

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.