Articles

Greater & Greener: The Ultimate Outdoor Classroom

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

For nearly two centuries, New York City has led the way in its commitment to providing parks and green space for all residents. From the great historic Central and Prospect Parks, to the revitalized Bronx River Greenway to the catalytic High Line Park, the city’s innovative approaches to park development and partnerships can be adapted by all great cities. This coming July, city park planners, designers and visionaries, will have a chance to experience New York City’s parks like never before at the International Urban Parks Conference! Presented by City Parks Alliance, the event development committee for this year’s Greater & Greener conference promises a highly interactive program to include mobile workshops, a volunteer day, weekend tours, and receptions in great parks.

The Past & Future of Tactical Urbanism: A Conversation With Mike Lydon

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

The 20th annual Congress for the New Urbanism was held this week in West Palm Beach, Fla. Such anniversaries are an occasion for reflection on past accomplishments, and also for looking ahead. One of the most exciting topics on the docket was “tactical urbanism,” the movement of incremental, small-scale – usually temporary, sometimes unsanctioned – improvements to the built landscape. One session featured Ralph Rosado, of C3TS, who presented on a project that turned a parking lot along Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard into a park for a week. Russ Preston, Design Director of the Principle Group, described how informal outdoor movie projections activated a neighborhood (and eventually became sanctioned by Paramount Pictures). Ellen Dunham-Jones, of Georgia Tech, described how her students installed temporary bike signage, historical markers, and storytelling benches to downtown Lithonia, Ga., to help catalyze long-term change there. The session was emceed by Mike Lydon, principle of Street Plans Collaborative, and lead editor of the Tactical Urbanism manual, volume 2 of which was just released. Following the session, Lydon stepped aside with EngagiesCities to discuss the past and future of tactical urbanism.

New York City’s Road Map for the Digital City

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

New York City is now one year in with their Road Map for the Digital City, the city’s plan to make New York the world’s leading digital city. Are they on to something big? Were their first year ambitions realistic? The process is definitely underway, but more challenges exist.

Fish on 14th Street: Climate Change & Vulnerability in The Urban Environment

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

As New Yorkers, we seldom consider our physical vulnerability on the group of islands that we inhabit, a vulnerability that is increasing as a result of climate change. Nevertheless, weather everywhere, even in Manhattan, has grown more extreme and erratic over the past decade, something many attribute to global warming. In light of the recent evacuation of Lower Manhattan this past summer with the Hurricane that never happened, the work has particular resonance, serving as a wake-up call for urbanites who don’t think that climate change can affect them.

Top Urban Planners, Designers, Innovators from Across the Globe Gather This Week for CNU 20

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

This week a broad cross-section of America’s (and the world’s) best urban planners, designers, thinkers and doers will be gathering in West Palm Beach for the 20th annual Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU20). Even if you were unable to attend this event, you’ll have the chance to participate by following the CNU 20 buzz (Twitter hashtag #cnu20) of attendees as they work to craft hands-on solutions that will vitalize our neighborhoods, cities and towns.

LIVE: Richard Florida's CNU 20 Plenary Session Streamed Live on EngagingCities

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

The CNU 20 conference is begins next week (May 9-12), and as a media partner with Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), EngagingCities is excited to be able to bring you live streaming of some highly anticipated sessions from CNU20, directly from our site. So, even if you couldn't make the conference this year, you can still participate by listening in to the Friday night Plenary with Richard Florida here.

Hidden Gems and City Tours From Your Neighbor’s Perspective at Trover.com

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

A new mobile discovery network, Trover, gives users the chance to introduce local explorers to hidden gems right outside their door. Trover is a free smartphone app, which is also accessible from its web site at Trover.com. The app is designed for sharing discoveries, interesting things to see or do, in your city or a city you happen to be visiting, in order to help someone else enjoy the discovery just as you did. In other words, it’s a place exploration tool.

LIVE: CNU 20 Session Streamed Live on EngagingCities - [Looking Forward: New Urbanism and the New World]

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Check out live streaming of CNU 20's - Looking Forward: New Urbanism and the New World. As the Congress for New Urbanism enters its third decade, economic, political, and environmental conditions pose serious challenges for the built and natural environment, as well as New Urbanist practice. Three of CNU's Founders will open this session with lectures addressing these challenges. Andres Duany will present the 21st century crises that call for New Urbanists to adapt, including slow development, the public process, suburban retrofit, agricultural urbanism, and the theology of metrics. Dan Solomon will discuss the tensions between new urbanism's roots in the nuanced complexity of the city and the reductive codifying of New Urbanist practice.

Social Media Utilized By Planning & Transit Authorities to Monitor Public Sentiment

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:30:25 +0000

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.

Neighborland Gives Residents of New Orleans a Voice Regarding Municpal Priorities

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

January 24th was an important day for residents in New Orleans. That Tuesday morning, the Regional Transit Authority commissioners agreed to release their transit data to the public. Software developers can now develop applications for residents based on schedule, route and real-time GPS data. With the right technology, riding public transit will be more predictable and less stressful for tens of thousands of people every day. New Orleans residents deserve credit for making it happen.

Take Back Your Taxes: Bring Participatory Budgeting to Your City

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Tax day has come and gone. You’ve paid your dues. And you probably have very little say over how those federal dollars are going to be spent. But at the local level, an increasing number of cities and towns are turning to their residents to propose projects and make important budget decisions.

Visualization Through Data-Driven Storytelling or Geospatial Animation

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

The concept of data-driven storytelling is now “on the map.” Geospatial data, or simply data concerning a place, is now collected in real time. When geospatial data is animated, we get an interactive visualization that is impressive and can be even more powerful than static data. Andy Kirk, a UK-based data visualization expert, emphasizes that when you plot data onto “the scenery of a map and then create a shifting window into the scene through the sequence of time, you create a data-driven story.”

Municipal Data Integration: Breaking Down the Silos and Sharing Information

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Recently, I posted an article on the Living Labs Global blog, Report on Mobility, which prompted someone to comment on the distinction between open data and actual information. Raw data are valuable, but the information synthesized from the data is golden. My experiences this summer continue to highlight the need not only for better data, but also for better information.

Delivering Denver’s Future - A Participatory Budgeting Process

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Several weeks ago, the office of Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock launched a two-part community engagement strategy to gather public input on important financial issues facing the City of Denver. A series of public forums put keypad polling devices in the hands of city employees and Denver residents to test the best ideas for how to address the City’s financial challenges. The Mayor also unveiled a new participatory budgeting tool encouraging public feedback on key topics relative to fixing Denver’s budget gap. The new interactive tool, Delivering Denver’s Future, gives residents a unique opportunity to weigh in on how to fix the city’s broken budget.

From GIS to Place-Based Stories [Cartography]

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to attend the 2012 Where Conference, held in San Fransisco, California, and I am pleased to say that this year’s event surpassed all of my expectations. For those of you not familiar with this conference, the annual event features the latest and greatest in location-based social applications, mapping technology, and innovative GIS related public engagement best practices. While many of the presentations at this year’s Where Conference focused on leveraging location-based social media apps installed on our smart phones and tablets, it was the presentations about creating compelling stories about place and space that caught my attention as they relate specifically to public involvement, which can provide planners with some very useful resources in citizen engagement. Overall, I would say that “doing GIS” is getting easier.

Collaborative Public Conversations Focused on Finding Common Ground Between Local Residents and Decision Makers

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

When it comes to politics we can often pinpoint precisely where two candidates clash with each other. As the arena grows more issue-centric, people may tend to tuck themselves inside information silos unknowingly, becoming inflexible or even unwilling to view other opinions or facts. The political current may be full of discontent and partisan division, but instead of focusing on this, why not concentrate on more meaningful public conversations that can move us forward? Is knowing where we agree a better place to start a conversation? Enter the Community Forums Network for Washington state, seeking out the prime spot for agreement.

Using Volunteered Geography Information to Improve Transportation Services for Low-Income Communities

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

How can we understand the travel behaviors and mobility barriers experienced by low-income populations? The answer is both simple and complex at the same time, since it requires considering the entirety of individuals’ lives, not only their travel to and from their workplace. My research team and I gathered data from a relatively small sample of low income individuals through focus group interviews. We augmented the focus group data using additional detailed information provided by key individuals who participated in the preliminary discussions.

DistrictBuilder Software Offers Public Participation Power Shift in Redistricting Process

admin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

When you approach the polls this November to choose the members of Congress you’d like to see elected or re-elected, you will likely have put in some time prior to the election studying up on how your candidates compare to your views. It’s worth noting that there are now websites created just for that reason, such as VoteSmart.org’s “VoteEasy” platform. But it may not have crossed your mind that elected representatives and their political allies in the state legislatures will have pre-selected their voters by creating partisan electoral districts through the manipulation of maps.

City Planning LOLCATS

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Last week students at Ohio State University sent a survey out asking students and professionals from across the country for their ideas for how they would like to engage with APA and other professional organizations through social media platforms. We received hundreds of really great ideas. Many of the responses focused on creating fun ways to engage around planning topics.

Morph My City Challenge Encourages Innovation in Sustainable Urban Planning

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

The 2012 National Infrastructure Summit is coming up this September10-12 in Regina (SK), Canada and in conjuction with this event, an innovative challenge is being introduced as a form of social engineering. The event focuses on the creation and elaboration of the best and sustainable ideas related to the growth of the City of Regina. Architects, engineers, students, city planners and innovators from around the world are invited to enter the Morph My City Challenge (MMCC) - two innovative competitions aiming to encourage and reward radical new approaches to sustainable urban planning.

The Triangle Region: Joins 180 Independent Groups Taking Advantage of LocalWiki’s Free Open-Source Software

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Whether you’re new to a city or a long time resident, you almost certainly have knowledge and perspectives you can share with and learn from your neighbors. If cities had one spot where they could collect and capture the spirit of a thriving area, they might just increase collaboration and knowledge dissemination across an entire region.

Is Your Planning Project Online? Public Outreach Web site Givaway Opportunity

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

We wanted to be sure that all our readers are aware of this awesome opportunity to get a free interactive community outreach web site from Urban Interactive Studios (UIS). In conjunction with the upcoming APA annual conference, UIS is once again giving away a free Engaging Plans website to one planning project whose community is looking for a cost-effective way to use the Web to facilitate communication with the public throughout their projects. Engaging Plans enables planners to actively engage with community members by combining a variety of online and mobile tools, as well as social media techniques.

LIVE: Where 2012 Conference Sessions Streamed Live on EngagingCities [RECORDED Sessions available here)

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

The 2012 Where Conference begins this week (April 2-4), and EngagingCities is excited to be streaming over 20 sessions to our readers live begining today! So, even if you couldn't attend, you don't need to miss out. Check out the See the full broadcast schedule and view the live broadcasts here. Now in its eighth year, Where Conference: The Art and Business of Location, is where the grassroots and leading-edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. In the O'Reilly conference tradition, Where Conference presents leading trends rather than chasing them.

Introducing ICIC's "What Works: Solutions for Cities"

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +0000

What do baby boomers, families, young professionals and new U.S. immigrants all have in common? They’re driving the reurbanization of America. After decades of flight, cities are becoming the go-to choice of living. Access to amenities—including parks, transportation, restaurants, cultural facilities and sporting events—are making cities the preferred alternative to suburban living.

Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) announces Collaboration with EngagingCities as Media partner for CNU 20: The New World Conference

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) announced on Monday, its collaboration with Engaging Cities as a media partner for their upcoming CNU 20 conference in West Palm Beach, FL, this coming May. Expert speakers include Richard Florida, Dr. Richard Jackson, Leon Krier, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Peter Norton, Galina Tachieva, Andres Duany, among others. EngagingCities will be sharing written dispatches from CNU20, as well as new media on our site during and after the event.