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 The move is seen largely as a response to the city’s “outdated” fare collection system, reliant heavily on tokens and [...]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 [...]
This month, hundreds of enlightened planners, urbanists, and economists will be flocking to Stockholm to partake in Future Cities, a two-day conference that hopes to answer the questions and problems that have arisen as a result of fast urbanizing global society. According to the conference’s website, there are many reasons why such a colloquium is [...]
Earlier this summer, New York City saw the opening of the second part of the High Line, an elevated park on Manhattan’s West Side that, since 2009, has been dazzling New Yorkers and visitors alike. With the new section now open, the park now stretches over 1-mile from the Meatpacking District and winds its way [...]
For the fourth year in a row, the City of New York transformed some of its most heavily trafficked streets into a network of pleasant pedestrian plazas and recreational byways. Inspired by modern public space and urban design projects such as Paris Plage, Summer Streets, which ran for three consecutive Saturday this past August 2011, showcased [...]
In August 2011, the BMW Guggenheim Lab made its formal debut on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A collaboration between BMW Corporation and the Guggenheim Museum, the lab hopes to redefine and rethink the modern concepts of urban planning and urban design through a series of exhibitions, games, and public events among other items. [...]
After months of research and development, the City of Philadelphia released its first comprehensive plan in June 2011, since the “1985 Plan” back in 1960. The new city plan, which predicts how the city will look 25 years from now in 2035, focuses on the key ideas of thrive, connect, and renew. But unlike the previous [...]
As technology becomes increasingly mobile, city residents are constantly in demand for information on the go. But aside from their desire to Facebook and tweet anywhere, anytime, users are looking for ways to improve their commute, quicken their pace, and reach their destination faster. Public agencies and private developers have responded to the call, creating [...]
As social media continues to grow and become part of the architecture and planning disciplines, design schools are increasingly integrating these essential services and networks as part of their marketing and communication, but also in their curriculum. With many design firms and city agencies incorporating these tools into their professional practice and branding, it is [...]
With more and more city residents becoming engaged in social media, municipal planning departments are taking notice. Across the country, many cities are responding to the trend by embedding themselves within social media networks and reaching out to constituents like never before. The cities are putting themselves out there on Twitter and allowing anyone to [...]
Twitter is a terrific micro-blogging platform that allows users to send 140 character messages to each other and the world. This form of social media allows for vast amounts of information to be sent in short bursts, but can also be a disaster for a user that may be new to the site. Even the [...]
Three weeks ago, the American Planning Association (APA) held its annual conference in Boston. Over 5,000 urban planning professionals and students shared their ideas, exchanged business cards, and learned about emerging trends in the profession. This year, social media, particularly Twitter, played a big role in keeping conference attendees connected and aware of lectures, activities, [...]
