Map of Recent Urbanization Change in Europe

This new map was created by Germany’s BBSR, the country’s Federal Institute for Research onBuilding, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development.  It is the first ever to collect data published by all of Europe’s municipalities. The BBSR collected data between 2001 and 2011. While that might sound slightly outdated, these are actually the most up-to-date figures Europe has… Read More

Boston New Urban Mechanics Office Leads Civic Tech Implementation

Boston, the “City on a Hill”,  prides itself as a thought leader on topics of philosophy (transcendentalism), political theory (John Adams, Declaration of Independence) and public policy (Boston’s implementation of the 1965 Racial Imbalance Act) for over 300 years.  Clearly the City of Boston hasn’t always got it right. But the City gets big credit for… Read More

Detroit: Whither Thou Goest, So Goest US?

Whether it is with despair, empathy or schadenfreude, the nation watches one of it’s premier cities falter through corruption, decay and population decline, fail through bankruptcy and moved toward a hoped for renewal.  An early price tag for the physical restructuring of the city was just presented by the Obama appointed Detroit Blight Removal Task Force.  The… Read More

National Hackathon Offers New Fixes for Urban Problems

The second annual national “Civic Hacking” event, May 30 – June 1, brings together participants from the fields of software development, design, research, non-profits, local government and more to use their skills to solve civic challenges.  Civic Hacking events are scheduled in over 122 locations across the U.S.  and beyond.  Sponsored by Intel, this is a… Read More