Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Cities & Urban Planning

Art & DesignArtificial IntelligenceUrban Planning

Midjourney Parameters: Style & Chaos In Speculative Urbanism

Imagining cities and their infrastructure using artificial intelligence, and playing around with some of the weirder parameters in Midjourney to see what we can squeeze out of the generative AI platform.

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EnergyTransit infrastructure

Is Bus Electrification Economical or Environmental? Possibly Both.

City buses have historically been powered by dirty diesel engines. Upgrading to CNG improves emissions and reduces smog, but doesn’t improve efficiency. Electrification, on the other hand, could drastically improve efficiency, drastically reduce emissions, and reduce operating costs to boot. There is a higher capital cost up front, which can potentially be amortized over a longer lifespan.

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EnvironmentHousingParks & RecUrban Planning

To Sprawl, Or Not To Sprawl: LaSalle, Ontario Mulls Development Plan

If we can get past the fanciful belief that all growth is good growth, we can critically examine the likes of really bad municipal planning in our southern neighbor of Canada.

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CarsGovernmentMobilityUrban Planning

MDOT: “An I-375 With Fewer Than Ten Lanes Would Take Away People’s Right To Get Around”

Our favorite road engineering agency is finally again talking about replacing the useless stretch of interstate that is I-375. Unfortunately, the plans just keep getting worse and worse.

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AutomotiveMobilityTransit infrastructureUrban Planning

Sidebar: Can A Wireless Charging Roadway Work?

This piece looks at the question of whether an EV-charging roadway could actually work.

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CyclingPublic Safety

Drivers: Please Don’t Honk At Cyclists. Ever.

Car horns are dangerously loud, and dangerously loud sounds are not only deleterious to health, they’re also scary for cyclists– who are already occupying a precarious position on the streets of American cities.

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Business & EconomicsUrban Planning

Blueprint for Value: Why Companies Need City Planners on Their Payroll

Why more companies should be thinking about adding more diverse vocations to their talent base, and how this drives value creation.

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DetroitHistoric preservationReal EstateUrban Planning

The Ilitch Crusade Continues: When Is Enough Enough?

The latest Ilitch demolition has us all scratching our heads and wondering when we will deserve a better city– for buildings, for historic preservation, and, of course, for Detroiters.

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DetroitGovernmentHeavy IndustryUrban Planning

City of Detroit: “You’re good– if your last name is Moroun or Ilitch.”

A months-long saga to try and clean up a lot being used for long-term storage of inoperable vehicles finally gets a response from a persnickety FOIA coordinator, who points out that, well, we don’t care about the problems here, because it’s not a residential neighborhood.

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