Urban Technology

Urban Technology

Abstract collage with network nodes, a vintage gear, a textured gray circle, and green gears on a graph background, divided into four colored quadrants.
An introduction to "The Engine of Progress" from Jason Crawford, founder of the Roots of Progress Institute.
A man connects an electric car to a charging station mounted on a house wall next to a large shrub.
Electric vehicle sales are rising but public charging in cities is still lacking.
Split image with the empire state building on the left and a stylized graphic of a wi-fi router on the right, both against a purple background.
When Google runs a smart city, who owns the data?
A model of the Colossus depicting the grandeur of ancient Rome.
Archaeologist Bernard Frischer spent decades uploading the ruins of the Eternal City to the cloud. Here’s what it looks like.
a drone flying over a forest with trees in the background.
The $300,000 Model A is a true flying car — it can be driven on roads as well as flown in the air. And it's one step closer to your garage.
fastest shoes
They cost $1,400 and will make you feel like you’re always on a moving sidewalk.
Jetoptera's VTOL
One of Jetoptera's VTOLs is expected to reach speeds of around 614 mph, about as fast as a commercial jet airliner.
More than 150 companies are developing flying cars. Here's why they're aren't yet off the ground and darting across city skies.
hyperloop
The Hyperloop is physically possible, but engineering challenges will make its construction very difficult. Also, accidents would be catastrophic.
How our brains navigate cities
We seem to be wired to calculate not the shortest path but the “pointiest” one, facing us toward our destination as much as possible.
flying cars
Battery-powered urban aircraft are well within the bounds of technological reality.