The prevailing geographic model for high-technology industrial organization has been the “nerdistan,” a sprawling, car-oriented suburb organized around office parks. This seems to contradict a basic insight of urban theory, which associates dense urban centers with higher levels of innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. This article examines the geography of recent venture capital finance startups across U.S. metros and within a subset of them by neighborhood. It concludes that the model is changing. The suburban model might have been a historical aberration, and innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship are realigning in the same urban centers that traditionally fostered them.
Read MoreThe city of Portland made headlines last year when it was one of seven cities from across the country in the running for a total $50 million prize in the Smart City Challenge – a national competition that asked cities to come up with transportation plans for systems that would use data and technology to help people and goods move more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Read MoreAccording to researchers around the world, there is increasing momentum from some of the world’s most innovative universities to align curriculum, research and overall mission to city development that specifically focuses on technology-based systems and services. In other words, progressive higher education is linking itself more than ever to the Internet of Everything.
Read MoreThe United States is in the midst of a generation-long structural shift in labor, productivity, jobs, and pay. This shift began in the 1980s and is set to accelerate with the increasing adoption of advanced robotics and machine learning technologies. We are experiencing the most important changes in the nature of work since the Industrial Revolution, changes that affect nearly everything, from crime to electoral outcomes to national competitiveness.
Read MoreEven though Denver and Austin came up just short in the federal technology competition, both are moving forward with their ideas.
Read MoreThe desire for new-era connectivity continues to meet the limitation of present-day funding in many of the nation’s municipalities, according to a report due out today regarding the country’s ongoing smart-city initiatives
Read MoreThis unstoppable trend is driving double-digit growth in a trillion-dollar global market. What are the opportunities for telecom companies, utilities, financial institutions, transportation companies, software developers, equipment manufacturers and others in the smart-city market?
Read MoreThe Soofa Sign is getting tested in local government and could co-mingle public and commercial information in a single space. Smart city initiatives often emphasize a mix-and-match approach to technology: lamp posts that also measure air quality, for example.
Read MoreIf you live in a big city, chances are pretty good that you'll be sharing a lot more of your personal information with government entities within a few years.
Read MoreColleges are offering new classes, degrees and certifications to help train the smart city workforce of the future. Continuing education is also an option.
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Lafayette city-parish government is in the early stages of a new initiative to give residents easy access to a world of interesting information sitting on government computers that has been largely inaccessible.
Read MoreIn a world where people can increasingly choose to live anywhere, cities have to compete in ways that they never anticipated. International finance, global supply chains, connectivity, automation, rapid transit and transportation have all combined to heighten mobility in unprecedented ways. Specifically when it comes to economic development, there are many traditional metrics that city executives know that business leaders evaluate: Tax and regulatory environment, Workforce development and readiness, Transportation and transit solutions, Connectivity
As the Capital of Silicon Valley, San José is the “center of the universe” for innovation and disruptive technologies powered by the Internet economy
Read MoreBioswales, rain gardens, permeable pavers. There’s a panoply of green stormwater infrastructure solutions — but not a lot of data about which types work best in which situations.
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The initiative is part of the city’s broader effort to generate data-driven decision-making in its parks department, a move reflected in large and small municipalities nationwide.
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again. The “10 technology trends” and “5 ways the Internet of Things (IoT) will change your business next year” prognostications are coming out. I always read these and enjoy the critical thinking behind the authors’ lists. And every year I think about looking back at last year’s lists to see how well the forecasters did, but there isn’t much value in “I told you so” whether you are saying it or hearing it so I let that urge pass
Read MorePittsburgh has partnered with Uber on its self-driving pilot and it's working on smart traffic lights thanks to $10.9 million in funding from the US Department of Transportation (DoT) as part of the DoT's $165 million latest funding round for smart city projects. Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto has high hopes that a full conversion to a smart city will happen sooner rather than later, and he's taking steps to make that happen, despite joking that self-driving cars could be what keeps him from getting re-elected.
Read MoreSan Diego has begun preparing some of its existing infrastructure for 5G compatibility. But if the zoning, planning and other groundwork lags behind, the city risks being beaten by others that act more quickly.
Read MoreWhen a gunshot is fired in an urban area, it's often difficult for responding police officers to determine exactly where it was located and how dangerous the situation might be. But surveillance technology from ShotSpotter allows cities to triangulate gunfire within 10 feet of where it happened and determine how many shooters there are before the police arrive on the scene.
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