Chris Stines is Planetizen's former Editor and the founder of Urban Insight, a leading digital agency. Chris has 25 years of experience in technology consulting and urban planning and has served as a consultant to public sector state, county, and local agencies, Fortune 500 private firms, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
Rumor: Microsoft To Buy ESRI?
So if both Microsoft and ESRI are concerned about the Google's move into mapping with the impressive Google Earth, then perhaps a Microsoft-ESRI combination would be the way to fight back. Wow. That's a big rumor.
Valentine, Texas Land Rush: $65 Per Acre
The cost of property in major US cities is so expensive that many city residents are buying cheap, bleak land in the middle of the Texas desert. Why? Because they can.
Exporting L.A.-style Sprawl To China
A former Los Angeles City Councilman sees remarkable similarities between LA and major growing Chinese cities and warns China not to follow LA's path.
A Major Planning Blunder: Skywalks
Skywalks, popular in the 1960s as urban renewal projects, represent the worst planning decisions made by some cities.
L.A.'s Mall Makeover: Introducing Mixed Use
An ailing retail center in a high-density area of Los Angeles proposes to introduce a mixed use mall to include senior housing.