Urban Planning

The former Rust Belt state is betting its future on a sought-after natural resource — people — guided by one person in particular. Hilary Doe, the first state chief growth officer anywhere, discusses what’s next.

As agencies get more comfortable with new ways of analyzing data, UrbanLogiq is betting officials will prefer AI-powered tools over typical traffic-counting methods. Already one city has started using such a product.

The Environmental Protection Agency has warned against hackers affiliated with Iran and China who could sabotage drinking and wastewater resources — attacks it said are increasing in severity and frequency.

The city will work with technology company Populus and an urban design firm to digitize its streetscape. It’s part of a project known as The Curb Reimagined, which will create a real-time, digital city map.

A yearly assessment by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy knocked the city for inefficient transportation. Planned changes include buying more hydrogen-powered buses.

Bike paths, bus systems, crosswalks and airports — all should work together, transportation leaders said recently. Forging an efficient and seamless network, they agreed, can bring challenges, but opportunities as well.

Federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program funding will help Norcross, Georgia-based fiber-optic cable maker OFS add 100 jobs. The company’s expansion is expected to make statewide broadband access more available.

Movements opposing changes to land use and transportation development policies can thwart initiatives capable of confronting urban quality of life challenges, city officials said recently. Some advised pushing back.

A $30 million project to modernize bus shelters in Los Angeles considers them as mobility hubs that could house modern amenities like digital screens, e-bike and e-scooter docking, dimmable lights and movable shade structures.

The municipality is considering offering the company a grant worth up to $847,500 to open an operations center for its new artificial intelligence-powered shipping platform. The organization already runs a distribution center in the city.

The city, part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, is using a digital twin model empowered by GIS and artificial intelligence to plan for and address urban heat. It drives understanding of how development and heat will interact.

New research from the Urbanism Next Center shows e-scooter parking areas need to be spaced within a few hundred meters of each other to see the highest use and to help declutter sidewalks.

Reducing traffic deaths is a compelling proposition, but it gets complicated when trying to make it so.

City Councilmembers in the Silicon Valley city recently voted to seek state and federal funding to cover a portion of the service’s annual cost. Other operational details remain to be resolved, including how far users would be able to travel.

The redesigned platform — believed to be the first of its kind at launch — enhances how residents, businesses and governments can access and view statewide land ownership data. Mobile performance and print functions are also improved.

Reasoning that the electric vehicle market is likely to grow, and retrofitting is expensive, the St. Paul, Minn., City Council may require future lots with more than 15 spaces to be EV-ready. They would have to have conduit for charging stations.

In late April, the San Diego City Council will consider a contract that would commission public charging stations at an array of city facilities. Councilmembers wonder whether revenue generated will sufficiently cover reimbursement costs.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is working with Purdue University and power unit maker Cummins to build a segment that can wirelessly charge electric vehicles as they are driven. The stretch of road will be roughly one-quarter mile.