News

Curious what AI has to say about Boston? Here are a few questions and answers about our city with an online artificial intelligence program.

https://bostoday.6amcity.com/city/artificial-intelligence-boston-ma?utm_term=bostoday&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=bostoday&utm_content=bostoday

New York's long-awaited congestion pricing program could break open the controversial practice in the United States.

New York City’s congestion pricing program, set to launch next year, could pave the way for similar programs in other U.S. cities, which have been reluctant to implement cordon pricing despite its popularity in other parts of the world, writes Adie Tomer in Bloomberg CityLab.

“Congestion pricing isn’t just a new fee on driving; it’s the single most powerful transportation experiment America has not yet tried,” Tomer claims. This demand-driven approach to traffic management can reduce congestion, boost public transit use, and raise revenue. In New York, “the state plans to reinvest nearly 100% of the congestion revenues back into the MTA system, shoring up annual budgets today and unlocking expansion plans in the future.”

Tomer believes that once the benefits of the program become evident, more cities will quickly follow suit. “Once congestion pricing gets off the ground, it can unlock the Holy Grail of transportation pricing: vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fees, which would charge for every mile driven, not just those in specific zones.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-16/nyc-congestion-pricing-plan-will-set-us-model-for-reducing-traffic?srnd=citylab

"College campuses serve as ideal models for cities, with their integrated infrastructure, vibrant communities, sustainability initiatives, and innovation hubs inspiring urban planning and development for a brighter future. Educational institutions such as college campuses are designed with students in mind. Everything is within walking distance so they can go to work, classes, shops, and restaurants while remaining near their homes. They can do all this without a vehicle. Even those who do not live on campus rarely need one. In most cases, a bicycle works perfectly. It is more than enough for them to go to class, work, and stores. This works so well because campuses are built on a human scale."

https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/126375-why-college-campuses-make-ideal-models-cities?utm_source=Planetizen%2BUpdates&utm_campaign=85bee39a40-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_08_09_05_38_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-6cce27a957-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=85bee39a40&mc_eid=b9p0fICGm0

"Combining affordable housing with a library reduced the cost of the project and gives residents access to essential resources. In addition to books and educational resources, libraries provide crucial free access to resources such as computers, job resources, homework assistance, and children’s programming. "

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2023/11/126394-brooklyn-library-comes-affordable-housing?utm_source=Planetizen%2BUpdates&utm_campaign=85bee39a40-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_08_09_05_38_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-6cce27a957-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=85bee39a40&mc_eid=b9p0fICGm0

"New York City has released proposed designs for on-street dining setups, known locally as ‘streeteries,’ reports Christopher Bonanos in Curbed, in anticipation of a new program that will make the al fresco patios permanent—with some caveats."

https://www.curbed.com/2023/10/the-2024-streetery-is-taking-shape.html

Singapore is rethinking its sweltering urban areas to dampen the effects of climate change. Can it be a model?https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/18/world/asia/singapore-heat.html?mkt_tok=MzA4LVRMVy00MjUAAAGPJkM02l_QcfZ6d2Z1JhAWTDIoDdBzjdRehW0gmhD9MFElS14yKJ3shKf--VjCG30qj4Q8AWFlfYf_IGcJ25A-hlYZkQ8V1WV-oqIbwU2a#:~:text=Researchers%20say%20that%20planting%20more,time%20trying%20to%20do%20that.#:~:text=Researchers%20say%20that%20planting%20more,time%20trying%20to%20do%20that.

“[I]t’s not accidental. It’s leadership. And it’s a community that is willing to bite the bullet and commit themselves to a pedestrian-friendly core.”

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/10/18/rick-steves-what-americans-can-learn-from-europes-people-friendly-places

Developers are trying to spark the birth of a new queer neighborhood in Cleveland. But can a massive real estate development succeed as LGBTQ-focused?

https://nextcity.org/podcast/can-you-build-an-lgbtq-neighborhood-cleveland-is-trying

"In May, Planetizen set out to revamp a list of "Most Influential Urbanists" last compiled in 2017. In a call for nominees, we challenged readers to think beyond the canon and nominate a more diverse collection of individuals and causes. 

Planetizen posted the nominees in June, a list of 200 that included 53 Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), 15 BIPOC women, 54 total women, and several non-binary representatives as well (we didn't verify the gender or racial identity of each of the people on the list, so that count might be off by one or two here and there).

Since June 29, Planetizen received 982 survey responses ranking these urbanists, and we are ready to reveal the new list, which you can read below."

https://www.planetizen.com/features/124594-100-most-influential-urbanists-past-and-present?fbclid=IwAR1AEt_L0yeH1G2fBQKA1hLKn_MD-q1elkGbzJohAsj_9W7_dGr-AXFvbBI

A new advisory from the Surgeon General declares that there is an epidemic of loneliness in the United States and that lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The advisory outlines the framework for a new national strategy which is based on the following six foundational pillars:

1. Strengthening social infrastructure, which includes things like parks and libraries as well as public programs.
2. Enacting pro-connection public policies at every level of government, such as accessible public transportation or paid family leave.
3. Mobilizing the health sector to address the medical needs that stem from loneliness.
4. Reforming digital environments to critically evaluate our relationship with technology.
5. Deepening our knowledge through more robust research into the issue.
6. Cultivating a culture of connection.

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2023/05/123068-new-report-loneliness-and-isolation

FOR FULL ADVISORY SEE HERE: 

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf