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July 12, 2012
Bridging the Gap: Technology and Civic Change

For philanthropists, policymakers, and anyone who thinks deeply about how to make social progress, the challenge of assessing the potential value of new ideas and tools is a familiar one: we are all trying to figure out which new ways of working and living have the most potential to improve the world, so that we can invest our limited resources in them. A skeptical-but-curious person might ask: what is possible—and fundamentally different—because of a new technology that wasn’t before? Why does it matter? 

I think of myself as a technology skeptic. I’m always curious about new gadgets and apps, but I like to give them a serious road test before I invite them into my life, always wary that the time I invest in learning to use the thing will have greater value than whatever I get out of it. Still, technology is tantalizing: even though we know that the vast majority of innovations will alter our lives in incremental ways, it offers up the possibility of transformational change at a societal scale (the events of the Arab Spring the most vivid recent example).

May 3, 2012
Social Media Utilized By Planning & Transit Authorities to Monitor Public Sentiment

It seems that cities known for their successful public transportation programs have done a bit of listening to residents to make improvements, plan, and respond to citizen needs. In a city like Chicago where each day thousands of people rely on the Chicago Transit Authority to get to their destination, a good transit experience seems to make or break their day. And how do we know this? Search for the Twitter hashtag #cta and you’ll discover a multitude of statements from the Chicagoland populace.

It seems that cities known for their successful public transportation programs have done a bit of listening to residents to make improvements, plan, and respond to citizen needs. In a city like Chicago where each day thousands of people rely on the Chicago Transit Authority to get to their destination, a good transit experience seems to make or break their day. And how do we know this? Search for the Twitter hashtag #cta and you’ll discover a multitude of statements from the Chicagoland populace.

July 28, 2011
Study Indicates Recent Increase in Mobile App Usage

Since emerging into the mainstream as a dominant communication source a mere 15 years ago, there is no doubt that the Internet has continued to rapidly evolve. From early online online directories and search engines to the now popular array of social media venues (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc), the web’s popularity has increased significantly.

More recently, however, a new platform shift is taking place. A recent study conducted by Flurry, indicates that a new generation of consumers now expect their smartphones and tablets to come with instant broadband connectivity so they, too, can tap into the Internet and communicate via social media platforms while they are on the go. Hence, the recent increase of mobile apps being developed.

Since emerging into the mainstream as a dominant communication source a mere 15 years ago, there is no doubt that the Internet has continued to rapidly evolve. From early online online directories and search engines to the now popular array of social media venues (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc), the web’s popularity has increased significantly.

May 20, 2010
Location-aware consumer technology: ready - today - to make the practice of planning a little easier and a little cheaper

In his article “iPads for Planning” (posted on Planetizen, April 2, 2010), Robert Goodspeed states that the iPad and iPhone are excellent tools for planning because they are highly mobile, location aware, and can be connected to a 3G network.

We would like to thank Jeremy Nemeth PhD., Director of the Master’s in Urban Design program at the University of Colorado Denver, for his contribution to this post.