Wednesday 6 May 2015

New York

a plan toward social and environmental resilience

"OneNewYork: The Plan for a Strong and Just City"

#OneNYC 

public innovation

newly released strategies and guide for advancing social and environmental resilience

Urban Sustainability Directors Network Smart Cities Strategies

Urban Sustainability Directors Network Smart Cities Resource Guide

playgrounds

going beyond top down planning toward ground level playing for social and environmental resilience

"Kaboom!: When Doing Good Isn't Good Enough" Nonprofit Chronicles

Kaboom.org

City Year

camelpolitan BEATS

environmental art 

searching for Andy Goldsworthy

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Detroit

the reinvention

"Taking Back Detroit: Portraits of the Motor City by Wayne Lawrence" National Geographic

"Rethinking Detroit" National Geographic

"Tough, Cheap, and Real, Detroit Is Cool Again" National Geographic 

fossil free

the latest cities shifting to 100% renewables

"City Council votes unanimously to shift city to 100% renewable energy by 2050" Vancouver Observer

"Georgetown Utility to be Powered By Solar and Wind Energy by 2017" Georgetown, Texas 

eSports

the new breed of champions

"Watching other people play video games could soon be a billion dollar industry" Fortune

"Vulcun Takes On $12M To Grow The Fantasy Esports Market" TechCrunch

Twitch

camelpolitan BEATS

designing landscapes for social change 

"power to the people has arrived... through landscapes powered by the people" 

Wednesday 8 April 2015

all-star conservationists

Hollywood's hottest roles

Conservation.org videos  

glacier change

the short goodbye

"Measuring Earth's Meltdown" UCI Greenland Expedition

your park

National Park Service celebrates centennial with launch of community engagement website

"Find Your Park" video by National Park Service

Find Your Park by National Park Service and National Park Foundation

Wednesday 18 March 2015

light technology

let there be light

UN/Unesco 2015 International Year of Light video 

UN/Unesco 2015 International Year of Light

"Light: Going Beyond the Bulb" Huffington Post

everyday superheroes

saving lives with the snap of an app

Pulsepoint App video

Pulsepoint App

The Wireless Foundation

public landscapes

designed for the people by the people

"The gardener in the middle of the road" video by CBS News

"Homeless man's garden of hope blooms on L.A. median" The LA Times

Wednesday 4 March 2015

growing pains

a problem any city would love to have

Google grows in Mountain View

"Google Plans New Headquarters, and a City Fears Being Overrun" The New York Times 

"Google's new headquarters design takes transparency to new levels" The LA Times

"Google's Proposal for North Bayshore" Google video 

LinkedIn grows in Mountain View

"What about LinkedIn? Google's plans instantly oversubscribe Mountain View building rights" Silicon Valley Business Journal 

"LinkedIn plans for new office, plus retail promenade in Mountain View development plans" Silicon Valley Business Journal

Microsoft grows in Mountain View

"Microsoft eyes major modernization of Mountain View campus" Silicon Valley Business Journal

big open data

re/building Detroit map by map

Data Driven Detroit

transportation planning

engineering traffic the artist's way

"7 of my 15 minutes" Richard Ankrom video

Wednesday 18 Feb 2015

the dating scene

finally an app where I can design the secret love of my dreams!

"When I found out my Invisible Boyfriend was an actual boy, we just had to stop"  The Guardian

Invisible Boyfriend 

the death and life of great American malls

are open air malls the new town center? is this backward or forward thinking? can we do better?

“The death of the American mall” The Guardian

“The Economics (And Nostalgia) of Dead Malls” The New York Times

“Jon Jerde dies at 75; L.A. architect redefined shopping mall, urban spaces” The Los Angeles Times

“Upscale open-air mall planned at Warner Center” The Los Angeles Times

open parks

will open data transform California parks?

“Panel urges transformation of California state parks system” The Los Angeles Times

“Panel urges overhaul of California parks system” Sacramento Bee

CaliParks.org 

Parks Forward Initiative 

Wednesday 4 Feb 2015

"We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run." -Amara's Law paraphrased by Robert X. Cringely

driverless cars

imminent or later?

"Are driverless cars the future of Uber?" The Guardian

"Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think" MIT Technology Review

"Driverless cars in cities still '20 to 30 years' away, says Audi engineer" Dezeen Magazine

electric trains

uk introduces trains powered by 80,000 aa-size rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

"Low carbon battery-powered train carries first passengers" The Guardian 

"We're developing a prototype battery powered train" Network Rail

Video "Batteries included: Battery powered train project" Network Rail

3d printing

not just making things but changing things

"Teen Can Play Guitar Thanks To A 3D-Printed Prosthetic Hand" TechCrunch

Website Enabling The Future

Video "From maker to change-maker: Leanne Gluck at TEDxElonUniversity" TEDx Talks

Charles Hull, inventor of 3D printing, National Inventors Hall of Fame

Charles Hull, inventor of 3D printing, Wikipedia

Wednesday 21 Jan 2015

humanity

Say it ain't so, the end of designing like you give a damn. 

"A Leader in Socially Conscious Architecture is Closing Amid Financial Woes" New York Times

Architecture for Humanity

Hats off to AFH, an early influencer in Camelpolitan breeding dating back to 2009. Sharing a dinner table with the irrepressible Cameron Sinclair remains one of this Camelpolitan's most inspiring evenings.

development

Rise of conservation development. Oxymoron or innovation? Call it what you want, there's big money to be made in connecting dwellers to nature. And not letting the perfect be the enemy of good.

"Suburban Sprawl Doesn't Have to be Ecologically Devastating" Ensia

Conservation + capitalism = a land trust that is part conservationist, part developer, and all for-profit 

Patagonia Sur

Tompkins Conservation

public screening

Vine for the over 14 crowd? From Istanbul to Indio, ultra short films are on a public screen near you through March 2nd.

"Ultra short films to occupy the public space" Hurriyet Daily News

Art By Chance

Wednesday 7 Jan 2015

opening sources

with a mapping platform that makes GIS easy as 1-2-3 for anyone who wants to incorporate maps into any app 

Call for abundant beautiful parks and paths. Mapbox patterns show that runners and bicyclists prefer the scenic route.

"These maps show your city's best-trod running routes" Grist

Mapping Mapbox features and partners

"Google Maps Rival Mapbox Adds Smart Directions, A Navigation Service For Any App" TechCrunch

Mapbox 

mobility

Applying space technology to preserve Earth, NASA personal rapid transit (PRT) SkyTran comes to Tel Aviv. Could putting more personal vehicles in the sky and fewer on the road help keep our planet green and reduce traffic congestion?

SkyTran

Video by The Collaborative

Video by Gerald Sanders

"Skycars to be built in Tel Aviv" BBC News

urban landscaping

Promise of exciting elevated linear park in Chicago: The 606 opens in summer 2015 

The 606 

Promise of developers and elevated property values along The 606 

“Developers riding 606 trail deeper into Northwest Side" Chicago Tribune

Promise of trendy lofts along The 606 

“$200K Live/Work Unit Off the 606 Gets Contract in 2 Weeks” Curbed Chicago