When I was first asked one year ago to write for The Grid, I was nervous, yet excited to be part of a new voice for design on the web. As I became more comfortable with the position and began to write more regularly, I have been able to use my column to inspire and [...]
Imagine taking one of the busiest highways in your city, sinking it underground, and replacing it with a dynamic urban park that caters to residents of all ages and backgrounds. Now imagine designing and building this feat of engineering in less than a decade. While most cities would find this task impossible to complete (ask [...]
Normally, I use this column to write about social media trends in planning, and highlights of local planning efforts close to home, but last week, a headline in the local campus paper alarmed me. According to the Daily Pennsylvanian, Philadelphia had the highest homicide rate in the country of the nation’s 10 most populous cities. [...]
In my last post, I suggested a few of my favorite general planning and architecture blogs. However, this only skims of the surface of the general design community. Now that you’ve gotten yourself acquainted with the basics, it’s time to dig deeper into the more specific, niche-oriented blogs. As any planner will tell you, cities [...]
As the semester winds down for design schools and budding planners and architects work their way through final reviews and exams, winter break arrives with nothing do to but eat, sleep, and read for pleasure. One thing I like to do during the “off-season” (so to speak) is catch up on some of my favorite [...]
We know that you love reading new articles on The Grid right here on our site, but did you know that you can also keep up with your favorite stories and writers “off the grid” on your favorite social networks? The Grid now goes wherever you go, with multiple social media streams to keep you informed [...]
Two weeks ago, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Board voted to award a nearly $130 million dollar contract to ACS Transport Solutions Group to install a modernized fare system for Philadelphia’s public transportation infrastructure. The move is seen largely as a response to the city’s “outdated” fare collection system, reliant heavily on tokens and [...]
As mentioned earlier on this blog, the success of New York’s High Line and recent extension has brought in more attention, investment, and tourists to Manhattan’s Chelsea and Meatpacking neighborhoods. And while New York enjoys the fruits of its labor, other cities across North America are looking to achieve similar results through comparable projects. Using [...]
Two weeks ago, I discussed the various ways that urban planners and firms use social media to reach out and interact with public audiences (i.e. Facebook and Twitter). While using these platforms is a good way of creating a base and engaging with users, knowing how to use these methods correctly and in the right [...]
From the beginning of its practice, planning has always been a discipline of engagement. Without engaging and interacting with city residents and constituents, planners would be lost with regards to making effective decisions and city plans. Now, with technology virtually omnipresent and more of these residents having access to data and city information, it’s imperative [...]
