Archinect - News

A Conversation with Alex Baca on City Engagement

2018-11-26T19:14:00-05:00

On this episode of Archinect Sessions we're joined with Alex Baca, a Washington DC-based journalist focused on smart cities, planning, bike advocacy and urban mobility devices. Recent news, and related controversy, surrounding Amazon’s newly announced move into New York City and Washington DC is what initially motivated us to bring Alex onto this show.

Listen to episode 133 of Archinect Sessions, “A Conversation with Alex Baca on City Engagement”.

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Small and mid-size cities are attracting more millennials

2018-05-04T15:24:00-04:00

Mid- or second-tier cities, loosely defined as those under a million people that aren’t regional powerhouses like Austin or Seattle, are increasingly seen as not just places to find a lower cost of living, easier commute, and closer connections with family, but also a more approachable, neighborhood-oriented version of the urban lifestyle that sent many to the larger cities in the first place.

Census data shows that smaller metros are seeing more migration from millennials while larger cities are experiencing slower growth. These smaller cities have been attracting new growth in part due to investing in green spaces and parks, upswings in local tech hubs, and downtown redevelopment.

The Ehang passenger drone might be another way people will get around town someday

2016-01-08T19:54:00-05:00

The idea behind the Chinese-built 184 is that users will simply get in, power it up, select their destination using a 12-inch touchscreen tablet display, then press the 'take-off' button. The drone's automated flight systems will take over from there, managing tasks such as communication with air traffic control and other aircraft, obstacle avoidance, and of course navigation...

Self-driving cars, self-driving bikes, the Hyperloop slowly becoming a reality, what's next for urban mobility? Self-driving passenger drones, of course. Smart-drone enterprise Ehang unveiled a single-seat, battery-powered Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) called the Ehang 184 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The quadcopter was built for short-to-medium-distance personal transit, and users won't need a piloting license to operate it. Apparently, it'll be commercially available later this year for $200,000-$300,000, Gizmag writes. If this technology really *ahem* takes off, the FAA will surely have a field day regulating it.

How urban cities continue to veer toward new forms of mobility

2015-04-30T09:32:00-04:00

Gilles Vesco calls it the 'new mobility'. It’s a vision of cities in which residents no longer rely on their cars but on public transport, shared cars and bikes and, above all, on real-time data on their smartphones...'Multi-modal' and 'interconnectivity' are now the words on every urban planner’s lips...This model of denser, less car-dependent cities is becoming the accepted wisdom across the developed world.

Writer Stephen Moss talks to urban planners and transportation authorities around Europe to get a glimpse into how cities worldwide continue to wean themselves off car dependency and explore new forms of mobility, all while city density increases.

Audi Urban Future Award 2014 participant to be determined by Speed Pitch Voting

2014-01-02T15:37:00-05:00

Three expert candidates who hope to participate in the Audi Urban Future Award 2014 have presented three different ideas that explore this year's theme: how far data can be used as a planning tool for urban mobility in the future. As part of the Audi Urban Future Initiative, the biennial award searches for visionary ideas in urban mobility.

The public will pick their favorite idea by Speed Pitch Voting online before the winner is announced on Jan. 6 by Audi CEO Professor Rupert Stadler -- right before the opening of the International CES in Las Vegas from Jan. 7-10.

You can check out this year's Award trailer and each candidate's Speed Pitch videos below.