Urban Planning

Portland, Maine, may use some of its $46.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to redesign two of its historic streets, Wharf and Dana. Several options are on the table, and the cost could be as much as $3 million.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the essential yet complex role public transit plays in the lives of citizens. Experts say this is the moment to make it physically and financially more accessible to everyone.

The move will offer local governments tools to make it faster and easier to review project plans. It will also give the startup Symbium access to one of the largest user bases in gov tech — Accela’s.

Branch Technologies, a company based in Chattanooga, Tenn., is trying to change the way building structures are created with its 3D printing process. The company recently received a $300,000 state grant.

A citizen-centric parking payment platform in Austin, Texas, that works with connected vehicles’ in-dash systems and better manages curb space is a lesson for other cities on how to power ahead.

The city of Brownsville, Texas, gets many complaints from frustrated drivers about how out of sync its red light system is. Now the city is collecting data from traffic detectors so that traffic flow can be improved.

Dane County is growing faster than any other county in Wisconsin, so its transportation network has to change to accommodate demands. Transportation planners have released a map for residents to provide input.

A new product could make it easier for municipalities to plan capital projects and budgeting. The product launch comes as an infrastructure bill makes its way through the federal government.

The Coalition for Urban Innovation includes tech vendors such as Sidewalk Labs, planning groups and others. They will push for federal investment in cities as they face climate change and other challenges.

Transit agencies are turning to data and data analysis tech firms to plan future developments, like route changes or service upgrades, as transit tries to regain ridership lost during the pandemic and improve services.

A traffic signal upgrade project in San Diego will involve 26 intersections around the University of California, San Diego. The project will use adaptive software to improve mobility throughout the region.

Tonight, employees of Kalispell, Mont., will discuss with the city council how GIS and drones are already utilized in the city and how such technology could be expanded to even more local departments.

The region will use a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation for establishing the Smart Corridor+ project in the downtown area to study transportation. The project will involve a range of stakeholders.

La Quinta, Calif., in the lush Coachella Valley, has turned to an AI-powered solution that mines real estate transactions and other data to zero in on the homes that are operating as unpermitted vacation rentals.

After weeks of debate, a bipartisan group of senators has reached a deal on infrastructure worth about $1 trillion, with $550 billion in new spending. Now the group awaits the reactions of their many colleagues.

Yesterday, Cisco hosted a roundtable discussion about Internet access featuring local, regional and international perspectives. The speakers covered everything from accountability of leadership to Wi-Fi innovation.

President Joe Biden and a group of 10 senators — five Democrats and five Republicans — settled on the details of a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure deal. But it remains to be seen whether the plan will survive Congress.

Researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio want to evaluate whether electric scooters can effectively collect data on everything from weather to traffic. The tech needed for the research is in development.