https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog daily 0.75 2023-05-14 https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/accessibility-testing monthly 0.5 2023-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/880690e9-2d5e-43d5-aad5-f08eaa3f65cf/Access+Measurement+-+DW%402x.png Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - “Access” refers to the totality of opportunities reachable by a person given a specified time window (e.g., 15 minutes) and method of reaching it (e.g., walking, e-delivery)[i]. In the last few years, a variety of resources and guidebooks related to accessibility have been developed by academic committees, non-profit partnerships, international organizations, federal agencies, and other researchers. This post discusses a process of measuring access and a case study that uses automated methods to evaluate transportation projects and understand the magnitude and distribution of their benefits. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/4f03e7f4-ad58-4dba-a44f-1e391b2c507f/Accessibility+Paradigm+-+Overtime+-+Inspirtation+Todd+L.%402x.png Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - It’s not a miracle metric, and progress finding clear integrations in practice is slow to build. There’s no universally-accepted standard for how many opportunities “should” be accessible within a given time horizon. It can be unclear how to evaluate tradeoffs between modes or edge effects from time cutoffs. Historically, we’ve thought about mobility and land use separately—and that can make it challenging to apply access in practice. Still, it’s a paradigm shift. Access thinks of mobility as a means to an end rather than an end to itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/ea374a4a-7443-40e9-9508-a2dc2b2d5d7a/Accessibility+Testing-+Person+Access+-+Destinations+Gain+by+People%402x.png Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - Operationalizing access as a tool to identify high-impact projects has been an area of interest of mine for awhile. Access-based tools can test the impact of different changes of transit service, understand the benefits of different bike highway alignments, or identify benefits of planned bicycle facilities and who they go to. This diagram outlines a prototypical process for evaluating gains in access benefits a target population (person access) might receive[ii]. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/15620525-3e8f-44a3-b9e7-f6033818c259/Access+-+Who+Benefits_%402x.png Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/3cfcf09e-424f-4474-abd9-7b2f3d0eb87c/2022-11-30+21_23_15-Bellevue%2C+WA+-+Tested+Facilities+%E2%80%94+Felt.png Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - Thus, I was curious: if more high-quality bicycle facilities were added in downtown Bellevue, where could they go to have the largest impact on low-stress access? I identified 15 potential routes that seem they would add low-stress connections to Bellevue’s Downtown, 4 of which cross the interstate. The routes selected here did not involve the City of Bellevue or Alta Planning + Design. This is armchair transportation planning at its worst. Real route selection would consider more criteria. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1669873656746-0TDMEQ30XEUTHJYJA4Y6/GIF_Job_Access_Gain_Incremental_Bellevue_WA_redpu_wlabel.gif Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1669873656267-KIWB82O6WTWS3VGUU2ZP/GIF_Park_Access_Gain_Incremental_Bellevue_WA_redpu_wlabel.gif Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1669874770934-5VWC81YKHDHLUH3AJ6K3/GIF_Job_Access_Gain_Catalytic_Seed_Testing_Bellevue_WA_wlabel.gif Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1669874771278-9QIFAVG4YF2Y8F9SK2TR/GIF_Park_Access_Gain_Catalytic_Seed_Testing_Bellevue_WA_wlabel.gif Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/f1eaa56c-df1d-413c-8197-309c417d2eb6/Testable_access_app_shorter_vs2_optimized.gif Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/7cc1b3c3-8d27-402a-b9c7-f34629ec5bcb/SLR_Access_Loss_South_Florida.jpg Blog - Access Testing: Who Benefits &amp; How - Resilience Applications Access loss can be used to evaluate facility importance or the impacts of hazards such as Sea Level Rise using the same approach. This type of analysis could be folded into a criticality analysis that combines volume data (Replica, StreetLight, Counts), dependent systems analysis, and other metrics to identify the intersection of risk and critical infrastructure function. If we use access for this, a criticality analysis could show us the distribution of access loss to community-identified priority destinations. For example, this sample analysis identifies that many areas outside inundated locations (in orange) in south Florida would experience substantial losses in accessibility to jobs. The results are not surprising, but illustrate the potential applications of understanding mobility and quality of life consequences of such emerging risks and hazards. https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/vision-zero-analysis-regional-scale monthly 0.5 2020-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598228831239-Q56BMG4QCZS933Q009IZ/HIN.jpg Blog - Vision Zero Analysis at the Regional Scale Bay Area HIN Index https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598229231029-U815PFEZ6CQO35ICZQUX/HIN_60Per.jpg Blog - Vision Zero Analysis at the Regional Scale For example, the HIN derived from the collision index at 60% of Bay Area KSI collisions is shown to the right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598229145409-UYOYX03AF758P6DNMU4A/HIN_60Per.jpg Blog - Vision Zero Analysis at the Regional Scale Now here is the same map, but adding a bias towards an equity metric derived from MTC's Communities of Concern. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598229327702-XV81BIOIF7MN7CND0KO9/HIN_Accumulation.jpg Blog - Vision Zero Analysis at the Regional Scale This chart shows the relationship between the cumulative length of the Bay Area HIN (excluding highways / paths) and the cumulative number of KSI collisions. It demonstrates that KSI collisions are highly concentrated to a small portion of the Bay Area’s streets. Approximately 60% of all KSI collisions occur on 8% of the network. https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/experiments-in-procedural-cartography monthly 0.5 2020-08-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598236434032-XIH7ILY8G7R3QQOJ3RBX/Procedural_Cartography.jpg Blog - Experiments in Procedural Cartography UC San Diego Parking Operations Study https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598236484901-7PK1J0DGXGXUQQ961XG1/Procedural_Buildings_Garsdale.jpg Blog - Experiments in Procedural Cartography Garsdale Design, for example, has developed a CityEngine ruleset for Abu Dhabi using their parcel data that allows their Urban Planning Council to leverage context-specific design criteria and zoning analytics. These procedural rules help to accelerate the iterative design process and enable planners to articulate design elements that would hard to communicate at this scale with a more manual modeling effort. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598236573860-IOXV1S5HT2YE59W4MPLI/Parking_Occ_Map.jpg Blog - Experiments in Procedural Cartography - However, recently I got to think about how mapping, procedural modeling, and 3D visualization might work together to create a better understanding of parking demand. As a topic of study, parking has gone from a rather obscure assumption made by many planning processes to one of the most heavily analyzed elements of urban form. Traditionally, parking demand is typically communicated via 2D occupancy maps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598236654930-DH4FQH241NN3K3CR6NGI/WebScene.jpg Blog - Experiments in Procedural Cartography https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598236970544-ZTEMUWDDUCVJH0ZHWM0H/Yellow_Stone_Parking_DV.gif Blog - Experiments in Procedural Cartography Parking Study for Yellow Stone National Park iterated on the first rule to communicate overflow in parking occupancy. https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/tag/Evaluation monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/tag/Accessibility monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/tag/Equity monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/tag/Blog monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/tag/Civic+Analytics monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/blog/tag/Testing monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications daily 0.75 2026-03-06 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/nchrp-research-report-1149-estimating-benefits-of-closing-gaps-in-active-transportation-networks-a-guide monthly 0.5 2026-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/3fa78557-209a-4b33-bb7e-0ea6e234b88a/Behavior+Change+Model.jpg Publications - NCHRP Research Report 1149: Estimating Benefits of Closing Gaps in Active Transportation Networks: A Guide - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/large-language-models-in-urban-planning monthly 0.5 2025-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/e6b722ba-1857-4524-80b5-ad2fe915de81/Screenshot+2025-06-09+203439.png Publications - Large Language models in urban planning - Abstract The advanced computational capabilities of artificial intelligence, particularly large language models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, offer great potential for addressing the complex developmental challenges faced by cities globally. These challenges are those that traditional urban planning methods often struggle to tackle. We explore how large language models can be leveraged to automate and support various urban planning tasks, providing nuanced computational support and advanced analytical capabilities. We highlight potential applications throughout the planning process and discuss the barriers and challenges involved. By setting a research agenda, we aim to foster the integration of artificial intelligence in urban planning, enhancing the field’s ability to create positive, inclusive and effective urban solutions. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/computer-vision-for-planning-qn111 monthly 0.5 2025-02-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/564df8d7-d545-4014-a903-6dec52cce158/Figure+1+Segment+Geospatial.png Publications - Computer Vision for Planning - Abstract Computer vision (CV) is a form of artificial intelligence (AI). It enables computers to interpret and process visual data from images and video to extract insights about our world. Modern CV technologies have much to offer planning practitioners. However, controversial uses of this technology have caused concern. Planners should understand the risks associated with surveillance, privacy, and representation to ensure the ethical and responsible use of CV and other AI-powered applications. Caption: Computer vision models like Meta’s Segment Anything Model, used here to identify tree canopy, can enhance our understanding of the built environment (image generated with segment-geospatial). https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/4-tools-to-build-your-digital-twin monthly 0.5 2024-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/0001a874-d5d7-462a-a555-013a923d91c1/digital+_twin_1.jpg Publications - 4 Tools to Build Your Digital Twin - This Planning Magazine article is part of the "Tech Tools" series, created in collaboration with APA's Technology Division. From climate resilience to mobility to regional planning, we highlight topical datasets, applications, and other tools that help planners understand — and better plan for — their communities. This article is about data providers that can jump start efforts to build a “digital twin” of key components of their communities. It includes new AI derived extractions from NOAA’s Digital Coast Program, 3D Building extraction providers, and reality capture applications that integration into game engines. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/5gdggioztxkd6fjodtyer391y273kx monthly 0.5 2023-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/dd523132-aec7-4fda-8364-c10042ebd837/LAI3.jpg Publications - 4 Tools to Empower Data-driven Planning for Climate and Transportation Equity - This APA Magazine article is part of the "Tech Tools" series, created in collaboration with APA's Technology Division. From climate resilience to mobility to regional planning, we highlight topical datasets, applications, and other tools that help planners understand — and better plan for — their communities. Planners can take advantage of the national focus on infrastructure investments to enhance mobility and climate resilience for underserved communities. This article features four more tools to help planners build a more comprehensive picture of needs, opportunities, and solutions to achieving greater equity in climate and transportation efforts. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/generative-ai-and-planning monthly 0.5 2023-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/12373bfd-f665-4134-ab91-ba37fe011527/Generative+AI+and+Planning+SWOT%402x+%283%29.png Publications - Augmented: Planners in an Era of Generative AI - SWOT Analysis of Generative AI in Planning The rapid development of generative AI, which focuses on creating new content such as images or text. These advances have the potential to improve planning processes, but raise significant concerns, and their scope and pace is thus far exceeding existing educational or regulatory processes. Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a technology of significant power whose ultimate bounds are currently uncertain. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/5-climate-tech-tools-apa-magazine-2023 monthly 0.5 2023-02-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/b1b80e9b-da1f-4ebd-adbb-0584fa85247e/NationalRiskINtro.jpg Publications - 5 Climate Tech Tools to Build Community Resilience - This APA Magazine article is part of the "Tech Tools" series, created in collaboration with APA's Technology Division. From climate resilience to mobility to regional planning, we highlight topical datasets, applications, and other tools that help planners understand — and better plan for — their communities. This article is the first in the new "Tech Tools" series. It explores a handful of recent climate change and resilience datasets and tools, curated for you by members of APA's Technology Division. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/mode-shift-potential-evaluations-using-desire-lines-amp-connections-to-active-functional-classification-systems monthly 0.5 2023-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/5eeb93f8-0d29-4481-9083-5d7cccd75c4e/UDOT+Dashboard+-+Disaggregated-Close+IN-+UTRAC+Research+10-20-2022-SMall.gif Publications - Mode Shift Potential Evaluations Using Desire Lines &amp; Connections to Active Functional Classification Systems - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/b99ab754-9708-487c-91c3-1597423ba40e/UT-22.20+Mode+Shift+Potential+Evals+and+Functional+Class_25.jpg Publications - Mode Shift Potential Evaluations Using Desire Lines &amp; Connections to Active Functional Classification Systems - Excerpt from Report This review of existing methods highlights the opportunity to develop a new tool for estimating mode shift potential at the early stages of active transportation project proposal, informed by elements of each of the previously discussed methods. The tool presented in this research approximates the number of car trips taken along an existing or new network link segment that may reasonably be converted to active modes, using trip data represented by OD desire lines. Implemented as an ArcGIS Pro tool, the workflow determines the minimum distance and difference in bearing between each desire line and input network link for evaluation. It then applies weights based on defined proximity and angle thresholds to estimate the fraction of trips represented by each desire line that may be attributed to the network link. Next, it considers the average trip distance of all trips represented by the desire line and applies an additional weighting procedure to estimate which trips attributed to the network link may reasonably be converted to active modes, acknowledging the role of trip distance in mode choice. An illustration explaining key concepts behind this traveler alignment analysis methodology is shown in Figure 2.1. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/3ltjef7enjbzc5qbd0g4xvswpemzbu monthly 0.5 2022-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/362861b0-f622-4422-86ab-ea5f7d251cfc/2_Traffic_Flow.png Publications - Models &amp; The Questions We Ask - Make it stand out Traffic flow by desirable routes to major industries and central business district (printed in McLachlan & Lynch, 1950, p.365). Image scan by Cheryl Croshere whose academic work included researching the origins of travel demand models. https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/pas-memo-artificial-intelligence-and-planning-practice monthly 0.5 2022-04-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/bea8f26c-23d1-4036-a8e9-2ccd222053ab/Figure+1+TwinMotion+Render+DW+Maida+Vale+London+%28Turing+Birth+Place%29.jpg Publications - Artificial Intelligence and Planning Practice - Abstract The term "artificial intelligence" (AI) conjures images of autonomous vehicles maneuvering through streets, smartphone assistants that answer your questions, or androids exploring final frontiers. At a basic level, however, AI can be understood as the multidisciplinary endeavor to approximate human reasoning with computation. For planners, it represents an emerging toolbox that enables a range of new capabilities. Whether AI primarily benefits entire communities or narrow interests, though, depends on planners' abilities to engage with the challenges and opportunities surrounding its civic applications. Naively applied, these technologies can automate discrimination, create unaccountable processes, and create a false certainty about what the future holds. This PAS Memo intends to equip planners with an understanding of AI concepts and their potential uses for practice. And because planners have a responsibility to understand the implications of the technologies they choose to deploy and help to ensure that those technologies are used responsibly, it discusses important considerations regarding AI applications and their roles in larger trends connected to digital governance and civic data in planning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1c46df85-f9fe-4655-82b9-6c10816dee31/Figure+4+Digitalization+-+Civic+Analytics%402x_Credit.png Publications - Artificial Intelligence and Planning Practice - More Than Just Machine Learning Excerpt Figure: Civic analytics can assist with a broad spectrum of challenges within operations, policy, and planning for cities and regions (adapted from Kontokosta 2021). https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/transport-access-manual monthly 0.5 2021-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1608348734278-QX0UCZWFYI3YZ823Q0TW/Access_Concepts.png Publications - Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places Screenshots from the Access Concepts Chapter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1608348940034-4THF6GZFU3BF70L1O30O/Transit_Map.png Publications - Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places Washington DC Transit Accessibility Analysis Sample https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/the-art-of-learning-by-example monthly 0.5 2020-10-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004596630-SOZX4N153GHEIXHF10HG/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_1.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004618261-16LYHR0X1Z6KMI5W7S9Z/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_2.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004617118-I9VSZI0DBK2VQQ6Y744X/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_3.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004659034-DF6R07JEHZV82VPAOFCI/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_4.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602124191249-6DWI5AYPYVKJK2764CSG/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_5.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004659095-2AWYK98O80URFDL4NOGT/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_6.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004681112-QNOLGLFMBB5J3451994S/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_7.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1602004679790-RAQ6RPBGTKM4R1NTJREM/AI_WASSERMAN_OCT2020_Page_8.jpg Publications - The Art of Learning by Example https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/trr2021-complete-street-scenarios-procedural monthly 0.5 2021-03-29 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/osm-and-lts monthly 0.5 2020-10-01 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/category/PAS+QuickNotes monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/category/PAS+Memo monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/category/Article monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/category/Research monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/how+to monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Generative monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/access monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/bicycle monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/data monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/accessibility monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/artificial+intelligence monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/routing monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/deep+learning monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/3d monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/openstreetmap monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/apa monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/spatial monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Blog monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/guide monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/ml monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/policy monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/level+of+traffic+stress monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Report monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Periodical monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/ai monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/AI monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Publication monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Complete+Street+Rule monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/technology monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/open+data monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/machine+learning monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/planning monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Cityengine monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/Procedural monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/computer+vision monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/publications/tag/magazine monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements daily 0.75 2024-05-19 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/generative-ai-strategies monthly 0.5 2024-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1ee0b6af-d9fa-4c5f-8fe2-2990bbc02b42/Slide30.JPG Public Engagements - Generative AI Strategies - Generative AI Strategies Webinar Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), ranging from large language models to image generation, possesses a wide range of civic applications that can expand the capacity of planners and their organizations. Many local governments are exploring applications of generative AI in governance including applications such as ChatBots, plan evaluation, memo drafting, automation administrative tasks, synthesizing public feedback, and enhancing data analysis methods. These applications create new tools for practitioners to use to improve quality of work and speed of delivery for governments of all shapes and sizes. This session, hosted by the APA's Technology Division and Land of Sky Regional Council's COGWorks Program, focuses on how municipal planning departments can utilize language models and similar technologies to enhance staff capacity. This session will discuss the risks and benefits of this technology, emerging applications, and provide a brief tutorial on how to apply the technology in a planning context. While this technology cannot replace staff members, it is a tool that may enable practitioners, particularly in small rural municipalities, to better serve their communities. https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/talking-headways-podcast-generative-ai-in-planning monthly 0.5 2023-07-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/e55dd1bd-93e6-4a68-98c2-f4d2bc686d79/Talking-Headways-small-1.jpg Public Engagements - Talking Headways Podcast: Planning for Generative AI - During this Talking Headways Podcast Dr. Michael Flaxman and I talk about generative artificial intelligence and its intersections with planning practice. We chat about what generative AI is, high-level descriptions how it is trained (tried to avoid the word transformers), and some of the ways it could be used or misused in a planning and transportation context. Michael and I have been collaborating on this and related topics for the last 8 years since meeting at an Esri Geodesign summit. We have been working to push the field forward together ever since. Key links to share from the discussion are below: Augmented: Planners in an Era of Generative AI - APA Open Letter on Generative AI & Ethical Planning - APA Technology Division Datasets for Datasheets - Cornell Arxiv Automating Zoning Data Collection - Urban Institute Bias in, Bias out - Yale Law Journal Can Language Models Be Too Big? - ACM Digital Library https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/771e7291-5724-488a-ae15-915e3b50a0fb/Generative+AI+and+Planning+SWOT%402x+%283%29.png Public Engagements - Talking Headways Podcast: Planning for Generative AI - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/active-towns-engaging-with-data monthly 0.5 2022-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/84f9ba0a-be33-4599-b961-25547f6c2512/2022-05-21+10_33_01-Engaging+With+Data+%E2%80%93+Active+Towns.png Public Engagements - Active Towns - Engaging With Data - During this Episode of Active Towns Podcast, Samuel Zneimer and I talk with John Simmerman about how data help help evaluate and communicate the potential of active transportation projects. We discuss the innovative ways Alta’s Civic Analytics & Planning teams are leveraging data for more community engagement and effective project delivery. https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/wmcelg-digital-twins-and-digital-futures monthly 0.5 2022-05-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1617721640082-R8NDAJ86WEGX6WNQMHRM/WMCELG.jpg Public Engagements - WMCELG: Digital Twins &amp; Digital Futures - We Make Civil Engineering Look Good During this We Make Civil Engineering Look Good podcast I spoke with Sam Lytle about how digital twins and emerging technologies can help the built environment professions use data as a round table to facilitate better interdisciplinary practice and engage with digital futures. This discussion highlights how information loss from high fidelity data representations from engineering is often lost when we look at geospatial data common in planning applications. Additionally, we discuss how a great potential for these twins is to more tightly integrate not only with what is, but what will be (Digital Futures). https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/github-for-planners monthly 0.5 2021-04-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1617375805675-00POPKDX634I4PAPS7OP/Planning_Github_Screenshot.png Public Engagements - APA Technology Division: GitHub For Planners During this Planning Webcast, Marshall Ballard and myself discuss how Git & GitHub can be a resource for urban planners during the course of their work. This webcast is hosted by the APA Technology Division. https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/apa-ny-computer-vision-and-community-vision monthly 0.5 2021-04-06 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/scatter-podcast-episode-14 monthly 0.5 2021-04-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598329157877-EIFRF56P28Z18KY3VDME/Scatter.jpg Public Engagements - Scatter Podcast: Episode 014 w/ Fehr &amp; Peers On Episode 014 of Scatter Podcast, I spoke with Javier Orraca about my role as a Transportation Planner & Data Scientist at Fehr & Peers. From the podcast episode description: Specializing in transportation planning and engineering services, Fehr & Peers is a consulting firm that has serviced public and private sectors since 1985. David has worked with them for four years at the intersection of data science, transportation and urban planning, and he takes us through a deep dive into some of the work that he’s done (providing career tips along the way!). David has spent significant time working with GIS systems, programming, and advanced visualizations, and he explains how these tools are helping to study and solve complex transportation planning challenges. Great feedback for aspiring data analysts and data scientists! https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/talking-headways-3d-cities monthly 0.5 2022-05-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598328336539-E65PEEMS09K6X2FBUXB8/Talking-Headways-small-1.jpg Public Engagements - Talking Headways Podcast: Designing Computer-Generated, 3D Cities During this Talking Headways podcast I spoke with Matthias Buehler of Vrbn a discussion of the City Engine program and how to create realistic cityscapes for movies and planning applications. We chat about the time it takes to code details, how much collected urban data sets can be used, and what these types of programs could be used for in the future. https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/category/Podcasts monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/category/Presentations monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Urban+Planning monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Generative monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Coordination monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Digital+Twin monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Webinar monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Podcast monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/AI monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Access monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Digital monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Digital+Futures monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Interdisciplinary monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Data monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Transport+Planning monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/CityEngine monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Modeling monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/3D monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/APA monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Git monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Procedural monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Technology monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Analysis monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/public-engagements/tag/Computer+Vision monthly 0.5 https://empirical-urbanist.io/about daily 1.0 2021-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1597021847149-AQX2STSNA6YJDJWBUL34/Bicycle_Top_BP.jpg About - About David Wasserman I am an urban planner working at the intersection of urban informatics, 3D visualization, geospatial analytics, and visual storytelling. I seek to develop digital representations of the world that create value across disciplines, scales, and time. My current areas of focus are enabling data-informed scenario planning, identifying how to align community goals to metrics to track progress towards them, incorporating civic data science into planning projects with web-delivery and computer vision derived data sets, and generating accessibility metrics that can identify the possible benefits of projects and who they go to. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio daily 0.75 2025-09-30 https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/sacramento-tree-opportunity-analysis monthly 0.5 2025-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/5e223df8-16f7-4bd5-9c27-b0bc00bc93e9/Lidar_image.png Portfolio - Sacramento Tree Opportunity Analysis Alta worked with the City of Sacramento to identify key gaps in its active network, but as part of that work Alta was tasked to help the City identify opportunities along that network to expand tree canopy along key corridors. Sacramento already had a LIDAR derived tree canopy inventory, but we worked with Ecopia to develop an updated canopy using 2023 imagery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/8a032186-916a-40e3-befb-e8412c100f24/Planter+loc.png Portfolio - Sacramento Tree Opportunity Analysis In addition to tree canopy however, we asked Ecopia to identify other planter areas in the right of way that could possibly support new tree planting. City tended to have inventory data that suggested false positive for planting areas, while an AI-derived extraction tended pick up those areas were not obstructed by tree canopy (which worked alright for our analysis). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/4181556e-dd31-4fbb-9cf7-175db3bdf176/Tree+Opp+Sum.jpg Portfolio - Sacramento Tree Opportunity Analysis Our final approach was to create a Tree Opportunity Index that combined the identification of criteria related to need such a lack of tree canopy and heat exposure, and those related to possible planting areas such as pervious land cover and on-street planter areas without tree canopy. We used a small hex grid to try to capture street to street variations in these opportunity locations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/a06753c7-183b-4a6b-a5d5-deeba2816769/Alignment.jpg Portfolio - Sacramento Tree Opportunity Analysis We have begun integrating our analysis with our bicycle and pedestrian gap analysis, examining the alignment of high-opportunity zones with high-stress streets for pedestrians and cyclists. Our initial findings are guiding us towards coordinating tree planting with upcoming active projects. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/big-river-protect-grant monthly 0.5 2024-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/733f10d1-a1f6-4a5c-a428-b7fb602fa818/2024-04-16+08_37_15-Big+River+Protect+Grant+BCA+Narrative_Original.docx++-++Last+saved+by+user+-+Wor.jpg Portfolio - Big River PROTECT Grant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/47e07a48-0ef6-4a07-bbd1-d6f57b7e4c95/OD+Analysis+-+Bridge+Disruption..jpg Portfolio - Big River PROTECT Grant https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/kansas-city-sidewalk-prioritization-budgeted-prioritization-tool monthly 0.5 2023-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/fccf5005-1b54-4c13-a5c1-2ae0eb521909/KC+Prioritization+Maps+Inputs+%282023%29.gif https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/santa-clara-countywide-vmt-evaluation-tool monthly 0.5 2022-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/8ebae7a3-1aaa-44df-a25e-6e6653a7a63c/VTAVMTToolDemo.gif https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/central-bikeway-feasibility-study-and-alternatives-analysis monthly 0.5 2022-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/e9660118-200a-4637-b2ac-9ae5d10b61c2/Evaluation+GIF.gif https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/torontos-bike-share-expansion-plan monthly 0.5 2022-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/6fa5c7fb-13ed-45c0-8d0f-3214082301e5/Toronto+Scenario+Allocation+Model+Animation+1+-Low+Reso-HQ.gif https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/caltrans-d4-bikehighwaystudy monthly 0.5 2022-07-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/c10cdc1d-5b34-419c-9079-f7d4e8264a95/BikehighwayBayAreaJune2022_48.jpg Portfolio - Caltrans Bay Area Bike Highway Study https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/ce5816df-d7da-443e-ac78-938e1f2d6287/BikehighwayBayAreaJune2022_47.jpg Portfolio - Caltrans Bay Area Bike Highway Study https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/e2d77866-b408-41db-8688-18b419a90fbb/BikehighwayBayAreaJune2022_50.jpg Portfolio - Caltrans Bay Area Bike Highway Study https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/04adf28e-682f-489d-99f3-a12f2d51244b/BikehighwayBayAreaJune2022_54.jpg Portfolio - Caltrans Bay Area Bike Highway Study https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/great-springs-trail monthly 0.5 2021-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/c29532b8-f7ec-4ff4-93a5-68ccb3be4fed/2021-07-21+22_24_54-Great-Springs-Project-Economic-Benefits-Report+-+PDF-XChange+Viewer.png Portfolio - Great Springs Trail Great Springs Report pages showing the changes in land cover in the study corridor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/120a33a4-6e78-4e43-b436-76bc65642eda/2021-07-21+22_25_43-Great-Springs-Project-Economic-Benefits-Report+-+PDF-XChange+Viewer.png Portfolio - Great Springs Trail Description of methods and estimates of ecosystem service and carbon sequestration benefits related to the conservation purchase associated with the corridor. The report also details conventional benefits to economic development and mobility associated with trail implementation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/433f5ff5-2c71-4e31-a7a3-6cedd7417a92/Land_Cover_Change_Focused_TX_Dated_Opt.gif Portfolio - Great Springs Trail This animation shows the rapid pace of development and land cover change within a sample location of the GSP corridor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/b54147b1-a831-4546-96b1-5007cfe1ad0c/01_Prioritization_LetterSize_NaturalLands.jpg Portfolio - Great Springs Trail Beyond this benefits study, David developed and implemented the approach for alignment prioritization as part of the Master Plan for the trail. The alignment analysis identified which segments would be chosen in scenarios that helped identify the balance of access and natural values of the trail. This analysis was done within a Jupyter notebook that enabled scenario-oriented analysis and could adjust weights dynamically. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/scenario-planning/projects-rutgers-reopening-scenario-planning-tools monthly 0.5 2021-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1612027561638-4YNNZC7KXJGYH735O6C6/Scenario_Planning_University_Shuttle_D2_Short.gif Portfolio - Rutgers Reopening Scenario Planning Tools - Shuttle Scenario Dashboard The scenario-oriented shuttle analysis tool leverages Rutgers’ classroom schedule and building database to estimate how changes in building activity during a reopening scenario could influence demand. This shuttle demand analysis enables the dynamic evaluation of different capacity constraints on the shuttle system and estimates the number of displaced riders that would result from different assumptions (a 50% reduction in transit capacity or the maintenance of 6 feet in social distancing). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1612027134746-73ZT04QF93LMO5P9P7CW/Scenario_Planning_University_Parking_D3_Revised_Smaller.gif Portfolio - Rutgers Reopening Scenario Planning Tools - Parking Scenario Dashboard This animation communicates key functionality of the how different classroom, resident, and administrative populations can be changed as a percentage of baseline to see how constrained Rutgers’s parking facilities might be given changes in campus population. The dashboard includes a toggle to add additional drivers under the assumption of reduced use of transit during pandemic conditions. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/complete-street-rule monthly 0.5 2021-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598240719472-EK56GMEWMARL8U8KQU8P/CSRuleCEDemo.gif Portfolio - Complete Street Rule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598240940354-367UCQLBBWXCBMS6D5PA/Baseline_Render_Front.png Portfolio - Complete Street Rule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598240953348-NG96XVE2PXSALJC0UAR8/Bicycle_Render_Front.png Portfolio - Complete Street Rule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598240945044-8C9HCLGDTI1IU2S08WHR/Pedestrian_Render_Front.png Portfolio - Complete Street Rule https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598240956327-QR92GZU2Y8NX2PLEXI8F/Transit_Render_Front.png Portfolio - Complete Street Rule https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/king-county-metro-transit-mobility-framework monthly 0.5 2020-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1603250038846-5F2M1ACFP6SDDZ5T92EL/Fig_Access_To_Jobs_AM_1.jpg Portfolio - King County Metro Transit Mobility Framework Regional Transit Access to Jobs during the AM Peak Period https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1603250038689-VPCDN4BR57ZMM4T9C2DJ/Fig_Access_To_Jobs_MD_1.jpg Portfolio - King County Metro Transit Mobility Framework Regional Transit Access to Jobs during the Midday Period https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1603250037848-36BGBNMOQPH9H6FUO7E0/PriorityPop_Routes_Map.jpg Portfolio - King County Metro Transit Mobility Framework Identified priority population serving routes based on statistically significant clusters of disadvantaged populations identified from a hot spot analysis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1603250036976-A6QOKBA9XQ7RPUGFORQ6/Ratio_AM_Jobs_Access_FLM.jpg Portfolio - King County Metro Transit Mobility Framework First-Last Mile Improvements – The establishment off some type of TNC type feeder system to major transit stops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1603250050678-35SVOG4C4AG3VMTIEIIB/Ratio_AM_Jobs_Access_half.jpg Portfolio - King County Metro Transit Mobility Framework Headways halved – All priority population routes have their headways halved. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1603250037285-38UMY34U9KH0R6LR3W3A/Ratio_AM_Jobs_Access_SR_Updated.jpg Portfolio - King County Metro Transit Mobility Framework Speed & Reliability Improvements – Assumed average speeds increased on priority population routes by 7.5%. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/maple-street-parking-displacement-study monthly 0.5 2020-09-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1600995921258-LPFCEGHFGHONXRNGHC3N/Fig7_Parking_Pressure_Network_Heatmap_Contracted.jpg Portfolio - Maple Street Parking Displacement Study Parking Pressure Analysis - Cartography by Peter Nguyen https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1600995921054-CZ533ARBO8NQO7PFDA3C/Fig8_Future_Weekday_Parking_Occupancy_Map+%281%29.jpg Portfolio - Maple Street Parking Displacement Study Predicted Future Occupancy - Weekday - Cartography by Peter Nguyen https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1600995921142-ITSFAE6OY4H7E7ZV14Q3/Fig9_Future_Weekend_Parking_Occupancy_Map.jpg Portfolio - Maple Street Parking Displacement Study Predicted Future Occupancy - Weekend - Cartography by Peter Nguyen https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/alameda-multimodal-arterial-plan monthly 0.5 2020-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599328548117-GPHMV6LXQC26SGUD1KH4/Mapexample.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan As part of the plan, the project team created an automated GIS cross-sectional evaluation tool and visualization framework intended to enable large scale scenario planning efforts for multimodal transportation system analysis was a key development of the MAP. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599328688523-KLNJIDKXTSPCHXNRXI35/AlamedaArtPlan.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The plan consisted of identifying multimodal recommendations across the entire county based on the layered modal priorities identified for every network segment. Metrics were recalculated based on the selected improvements and communicated by mode in the plan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599328691426-9JGI6OGGJ9QOYYCH1WEP/AlamedaArtPlan_02.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The plan consisted of identifying multimodal recommendations across the entire county based on the layered modal priorities identified for every network segment. Metrics were recalculated based on the selected improvements and communicated by mode in the plan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345018694-37B3RJUW1W03CMZVK7MG/AlamedaArtPlan_07.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345018913-K62PGOC1ZQNPJHWE6PKX/AlamedaArtPlan_08.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345017887-79IZB1EOYFE3QNQRLKWJ/AlamedaArtPlan_09.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345018865-301E9WVWGJA45IBRZWSQ/AlamedaArtPlan_10.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345018177-YJX8TS7SATHO89B9X6XA/AlamedaArtPlan_11.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345018915-U1S1116NRJEEG4NN2JJD/AlamedaArtPlan_12.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345072595-A6XFBZR51F7O1J35CF2C/AlamedaArtPlan_13.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345073329-LXN50WQ3PCKR5UB9962Q/AlamedaArtPlan_14.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345074796-1M172PA5A5P2K2XLWDU8/AlamedaArtPlan_15.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599345074650-30IOX40XJOX2O9LBZGKR/AlamedaArtPlan_16.png Portfolio - Alameda Multimodal Arterial Plan The needs assessment for the plan looked at the intersection of modal priorities with each modes respective modal performance objectives. Any place an objective was found to not be met, and the mode was a top modal priority was found to be in need of improvement. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/midvalley-active-transportation-plan monthly 0.5 2020-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1599524702768-HR34NBDOCCBX0VWKRV35/Test_Everything_Animation_Green.gif Portfolio - Midvalley Active Transportation Plan This animation illustrates the access gains to Taylorville's Town Center for 20 tested proximal bicycle facilities. The isochrones illustrated here are for a single destination of 800+ across ~150 facilities tested. This makes these 20 samples < 1% of the 140 K isochrones ultimately generated for this analysis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1600899045179-69J2ZO4W05KGX4E3HVPJ/GeneralPopTZ.jpg Portfolio - Midvalley Active Transportation Plan This heat map shows how low-stress access gain scores varied for each facility for the general population. More opaque facilities scored higher in terms of access gains per mile for the population at large. Cartography by Terence Zhao. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1600899045155-5FA8BY6V8HE9GF8NUSAI/VulnerableTZ.jpg Portfolio - Midvalley Active Transportation Plan This heat map shows how low-stress access gain scores varied for each facility for vulnerable communities. This method of evaluation enable planners bring equity to the center of prioritization processes and ask questions related to who benefits from investments. Cartography by Terence Zhao. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/national-micromobility-market-suitability-analysis monthly 0.5 2022-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624872413-9IRAB0RS95MZZIKMQXBF/Boston.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis Boston https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624870387-W8EFRFRA8GBBB0WXZKHR/Chicago.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis Chicago https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624873905-4COJTXW7LDSS7IT2F7K9/DC.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis Washington DC https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624872930-TDK3YVMDVTCDHX034FED/LA.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis Los Angeles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624874389-GQ075AI9900CR696TQH6/Orlando.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis Orlando https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624874858-E83GZ5R4HPPST6EHX5AQ/SanDiego.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis San Diego https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598624875011-T362LIJ3XN4PN9XU6G6L/SFOakland.png Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis San Francisco/Oakland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598667560854-5I8EQP79UFJ56A8761WP/MicromobilityWebMapGifReduced7.gif Portfolio - National Micromobility Suitability Analysis Micromobility Dashboard Animation https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/west-valley-active-transportation-plan-west-valley-ut monthly 0.5 2020-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598501110324-JWD1W5QALQIODJ3UFRRJ/image-asset.gif Portfolio - West Valley Active Transportation Plan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598550857820-43SA5KUTY8CF9JVA044X/HIN-01__1547669348126.jpg Portfolio - West Valley Active Transportation Plan - Prioritization Map Prioritization is often an important step to focus investments when resources are scarce. One of the final prioritization maps of the project are shown on the left. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/marin-ssar-and-2018-travel-safety-plan monthly 0.5 2020-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598910168555-QLXRTZ8EXJYG540VZW7O/Marin+County+Travel+Safety+Plan+-+Final+Report_Page_001.png Portfolio - Marin SSAR and 2018 Travel Safety Plan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598910168879-LPS0OVNY456F8XUA0CVJ/Marin+County+Travel+Safety+Plan+-+Final+Report_Page_014.png Portfolio - Marin SSAR and 2018 Travel Safety Plan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598930041217-9QKSM5FCH7XHKVPZ77S7/Marin+County+Travel+Safety+Plan+-+Final+Report_Page_102.png Portfolio - Marin SSAR and 2018 Travel Safety Plan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598930038647-QUBNC07C8MEDFZYMX57K/Marin+County+Travel+Safety+Plan+-+Final+Report_Page_103.png Portfolio - Marin SSAR and 2018 Travel Safety Plan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598930041384-AVNJE1LNIEAB7Z8RYMQV/Marin+County+Travel+Safety+Plan+-+Final+Report_Page_104.png Portfolio - Marin SSAR and 2018 Travel Safety Plan https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/seattle-ev-charging-siting-study-seattle-wa monthly 0.5 2020-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598310607292-0SFVEFX3OR2Q1AQZI0H9/EVSENonduplicatedDashboardAnimation.gif Portfolio - Seattle EV Charging Siting Study https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598314613291-SHMNTFS5U93CWPXMG1XK/APA_ConferencePoster_DW_Print_SM.png Portfolio - Seattle EV Charging Siting Study - This project was presented as a poster at APA 2019. TITLE: Electrifying Shared Mobility in Seattle POSTER NUMBER: NPC197075 Abstract: Intersecting trends of an increasingly decarbonized grid and the evolution of shared mobility services in urban areas provides a unique opportunity to reduce transportrelated emissions. Fehr & Peers and SDOT leveraged a McHargian decision-making process to guide an electric vehicle charger deployment that would support shared mobility, fill transit gaps, develop a robust charger network, and provide community benefits equitably. The siting model and its deployment provide a powerful example of how automation, targeted metrics, scenario oriented workflows, and value-driven decision making can help inform stakeholders about the best opportunities to electrify shared mobility systems. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/santaclaracountybikeplanupdate monthly 0.5 2020-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598762382126-VT4WWB9YTFYRYQANZNQ1/Connected_Networks_Bike_Plan.png Portfolio - Santa Clara County Bike Plan Update (2018) This connected island analysis identifies where there are contiguous and non-separated sections of low-stress network across Santa Clara County. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598762337744-3WUM18PXMXJC3VKA26O4/DT+San+Jose+Shed+LTS+Graphics.png Portfolio - Santa Clara County Bike Plan Update (2018) There were examples through our the planning process where the bike plan's LTS network were used to communicate potential differences in access using the low-stress network vs. all streets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f301c22294c341292757c25/1598762368409-Q8I2164X4GSUM3UAUTK6/Prioritized_Networks.png Portfolio - Santa Clara County Bike Plan Update (2018) To select priority Cross County Bicycle Corridors (CCBCs), a GIS based prioritization process was used to identify corridors that would best advance the Countywide Bicycle Plan’s vision of a safe, convenient, and connected network of bikeways that serve major destinations. https://empirical-urbanist.io/portfolio/cupertino-active-transportation-update monthly 0.5 2025-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847332741-UB05QWW31DIDXCV1C06L/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Portfolio - Cupertino Active Transportation Plan