Contemplating Smartphone Business Models & Access

I recently made a trip to the Verizon store that really gave me an in depth look at how the recent "no contracts" and "6 month upgrades" business model changes are influencing the access and affordability to smartphones​. Basically with the trend started by T-mobile, here in the US, all of the other major carriers (AT&T and Verizon) have adopted similar "leasing" business models to entice and facilitate more people to get more smartphones and continue upgrading their smartphones at incredibly high rates (up to 2 upgrades per year as opposed to the traditional new phones every 2 years). Before upgrading that often was a luxury and quiet costly, and now with these new leasing-like business models it's not so costly and much easier. This makes things ever more interesting since with each new phone there is heighten improvements in functionalities and tools, but also the smartphone market is becoming more diverse and less Apple dominated, though iPhones do continue to maintain a huge market share. 

The bigger question that this recent visit has made me think about is how is this going to impact mobility, economic and health access in cities.

Afghan Women Access to Mobile Phones

Check-out the impressive stat's in USAid's cool infographic about Afghan Women's Access to Mobile Technology.

US Clean Energy Facts From Obama's 1st Term

There is no doubt that clean energy sources increased significantly in President Obama's first term in office. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Boosted fuel standards for cars and trucks that is expected to reduce climate-warming pollution (like CO2) by 6 billion metric tons.
2. Wind energy production has doubled in the last 4 years.
3. Solar installations have increased 6-fold in the last 4 years.
4. In 2007 the Supreme Court ruled that carbon emissions are indeed a pollutant as defined by the Clean Air Act.

However, despite the advances in clean energy right now in the US "Energy Independence" is still code for more mining and more drilling but it doesn't need to be so in the future. Energy independence needs to become more interrelated to weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels with renewable energy. Subsidies for renewable energy are being reduced and in some cases coming to an end.

On the other hand, oil subsidies remain stronger than ever even after decades of exponential industry growth and multiple economic downturns and hardly come into to question. Moreover with all of the big craze around natural gas in the US, many are forgetting that methane that escapes from drilling and pumping natural gas is 70 times more harmful than CO2 emissions.

In fact the head of the Environmental Defense Fund, Fred Krupp says that "Fugitive gas is the biggest unknown of all the US emissions sources."

The Mobile Phone Internet Revolution Projections

Here are two a very interesting projections I picked from Al Gore while reading the recent article about him in Time Magazine ("From Chads to Riches" by David Von Drehle). While the focus of the article was Gore himself, Gore provided the author with two projections for the future of Internet use in the 21st century which somehow cleverly made it into the piece:

1. Mobile-only Internet users are expected to increase 56-fold over the next 5 years.
2. Information flow over smartphones is expected to increase 47-fold over the next 5 years.

IBM Smarter Cities Tests and Finds...

Using one of its own facilities to in a way "beta" test some of its new building analytics gadgets the IBM Smarter Cities team found some interesting cost-saving metrics to lure new customers to its portfolio of data-based services. In their Ireland facility they found that replacing paper towels in bathrooms with high-speed hand-dryers saved the IBM Ireland Research Lab building around 5,000 euros a year. In addition, the hand-dryers also reduced the environmental impact involved with processing 400,000 pieces of waste paper.

The Electric Vehicle Chicken and the Egg Problem

Transitioning to Electric Vehicles (EVs) is not just about getting more vehicles on the road, it also requires additional infrastructure investments to help support charge/power EVs. Thus while EV subsidies to end users are helpful to increase the EV customer base (public or commercial) there also needs to be a plan/strategy - some financial help would also be ideal - for infrastructure improvements like EV chargers.

Interestingly progressive countries like Spain already have about 1850 EV chargers, but even more interesting is that Spain wants to increase that number to 85000 in the next 2 years. That's a lofty and very commendable goal, however how is that going to happen. For instance EV chargers are not very expensive, but policies are needed to help facilitate the actual installation. And then there is the elephant in the room that everyone is talking about: the actual cleanliness of the energy sources used by the EV charger.

Today EV's in a way its like the chicken and the egg problem, automobile manufacturers are hesitant to bring to EVs to countries that are not attempting to put forth EV strategies, but governments are also hesitant to put forth EV strategies if they do not see much of a public demand.

Before we can get to the "How green is your EV charge source?" question, we must first address the question of "Who should take the risk, government or private industry?

New Opps in Cheaper Health Care: Smart Devices & Wireless Medicine

My favorite concept that I read about today is about wireless medicine and how smart devices are opening new opportunities to provide better and cheaper health care everywhere, from airplanes to senior citizen’s homes to poor rural communities.

This is just a quick recap summary of an interesting article I read: The Key to Better Health Care May Be Already in Your Pocket and Its Not Your Wallet.

Did you know it's possible to snap an AliveCor device onto an iPhone and perform a cardiogram at 30,000 feet? Well it is. Dr. Eric Topol was recently able to do a cardiogram on a flight from DC to San Diego after a passenger on a flight started to into heart attach-like motions on the plane and a flight attendant asked if there was a doctor on the flight. Dr. Topol was able to assess that the passenger was definitely having a heart attack an recommended an emergency landing. The passenger was taken to the
hospital and survived the heart attack.

Dr. Topol told NBC: “These days, I’m prescribing a lot more apps than I am medications.”

EPA Study Finds More US Communities Are Embracing Infill Redevelopment

Highlights from the EPA's 2012 Residential Construction Trends in America's Metropolitan Regions report indicates that infill development is becoming increasingly more popular. In the US there still plenty of suburban development on the books, interest in urban development continues to increase because of the intrinsic overall access that comes with urban development. As an urban planner I am excited to explore new concepts for urban living that better aligns with transportation networks. I'm sure architects are excited to get out their creativity pens...I can't wait to see new designs for urban residential architecture.

3 out of 4 large metropolitan regions in saw an increased share of new housing development in previously developed areas during 2005 - 2009 compared to 2000 - 2004.

Source: U.S. EPA

21% of new homes in the 209 metropolitan regions examined were infill. 

8 out of 10 new homes in San Jose, California were infill.

Miami increased from 40% to 49% infill, and Providence, Rhode Island, increased from 20%t to 29%.

New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco all saw a majority of new home construction in previously developed areas during the same time period.

Benefits of Infill Development

• Provides economic and public health benefits to metropolitan areas while protecting the local environment
• Saves money and energy
• Takes advantage of previous investments in existing infrastructure such as water, sewer, and roads 
• Preserves open space
• Protects natural resources
• Reduces transportation emissions
• Decreases the amount of polluted stormwater washing off new roadways and other paved surfaces
• Raises property values 
• Increases a community’s tax base 
• Attracts retail businesses to serve the larger residential population

Source: U.S. EPA

The EPA report includes a listing of resources available to local, regional, and state leaders that want to coordinate land use, housing, and transportation policies.

For more information see the EPA press release.

The Original LA Metro Tunnel

From the LA Times archives: here are photos from LA's first subway tunnel from First Street and Glendale Boulevard to Hill street, between Fifth and Fourth Streets that began construction on May 3, 1924. The subway tunnel was a mile long, 28 feet wide and 21 feet high. It varied from 30 feet to 60 feet below the ground.

Source: LA Times

Source: LA Times

Source: LA Times

NYC DOT Rolls Out ILook NYC Campaign

NYC DOT Commissioner Janet Sadik-Khan rolls out the ILook NYC Campaign with US Secretary of Transportation Ray La Hood on September 19, 2012.

The campaign includes innovative pedestrian street markings, and distracted driving ads to alert New Yorkers to walk safely and drive smart.

Click here for more information about the ILook NYC Campaign on the US DOT Fast Lane Blog. 

Retro London Underground Propaganda

In the earlier days of public transit, posters were used to make a case for the efficiencies and benefits of the London Underground in city life.

1915 

1924

1969

More great London Underground propaganda can be found at the Retronaut.

Survey: What Are Your Top 5 Favorite Apps?

Quotes Inspired by Cities

I love getting furniture store catalogs in the mail...they are great idea generators, very therapeutic, and inspirational.

Yesterday I was even more wowed by Restoration Hardware's catalog around the theme of "Big Style Small Spaces," not so much because of its great ideas of how to turn small apartments into stylish homes, but because of its compilation of quotes from iconic figures inspired by particular cities around the world.

Barcelona
"This is where it all began...there is where I understood how far I could go." - Pablo Picasso

Los Angeles
"I love Los Angeles. It reinvents itself every two days." - Billy Connolly

New York
"Once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough." - John Steinbeck

Paris
"Though I often looked for one, I finally had to admit that there could be no cure for Paris." - Ernest Hemingway

Milan
"You may have the universe if I may have Italy." - Giuseppe Verdi

More on how US Exports Benefit from NAFTA

I'm not the only one obsessed with the US-Mexico trade numbers, the Washington Post ran a story in their
Sunday, September 9th edition: "Middle-class Mexicans snap up more products ‘Made in USA’."

About 6 million jobs in the United States depend on trade with Mexico (Source: Trade Partnership Worldwide 2008)

US exports to Mexico 2011 FACT highlights from the article and infographic:

• Texas exports more than 70 percent of the chickens it ships out of Texas to Mexico
• California exported $9.3 billion in computers and electronics
• New Jersey exported about $1 billion in pharmaceuticals 
• Iowa exported $121 million in pork (us Mexicans love "carnitas") 
• Montana exported $59 million in copper and molybdenum
• New York exported $500 million in jewelry (I don't think this accounts for the amount of jewelry Mexican tourists purchase on their visits to The Big Apple especially at Tiffany's)
• Tennessee's biggest export south of the border was transportation equipment, totaling $855 million
• Michigan exported $3.6 billion in transportation  equipment, mostly for the automobile industry

The Latest NAFTA Numbers Just in from the BTS

[Network of North American SuperCorridors. (Map by Infranet Lab.)]

While there have been many critiques of NAFTA and other trade agreements, NAFTA seems to be the trade agreement that keeps on giving to the US, Canada and Mexico for almost 20 years since 1994.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) at the US Department of Transportation announced today that surface trade between Canada and Mexico Rose 6.6 Percent from June 2011 to June 2012.

The numbers show that in the last 10 years the US has gotten the better end of the bargain, by almost 20%. Exports were up by 90.8% and imports were only up by 69.7% since June 2002. In 2012 87.7% of trade between the NAFTA countries moved via land (including by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, Foreign Trade Zones, and other modes of transport) , 8.3% moved by vessel, and 4% moved by air.

The top commodity traded between the U.S. and Canada by land in June was vehicles, valued at $9.9 billion. The top commodity traded between the U.S. and Mexico by land in June was electrical machinery (including equipment and parts), valued at $7 billion.

Olympic Cities: Ready or Not, Here Comes Rio 2016 | This Big City

My latest contribution to This Big City about planning in Rio de Janeiro.

Olympic Cities: Ready or Not, Here Comes Rio 2016 | This Big City

And yes, I can't wait to go back and experience more of the Marvelous City!

Some Albert Einstein Wisdom

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

MAP-21 & the Future of Public Transit in the US

What does MAP-21 Do For the Future of Public Transit Systems in the US?

It gives a new safety oversight role for the Federal Transit Admnistration (FTA), which means the FTA will develop a consistent consistent set of safety standards for transit systems around the nation.

State of Good Repair for transit systems will be paramount. MAP-21 requires the FTA to develop State of Good Repair performance measures and gives them the authority to conduct investigations and audits. It also requires transit agencies to develop asset management plans to meet the performance standards.

For the first time transit agencies will also be able to access New Starts and Small Starts grants for projects that expand "their core capacity."

Authorized funding only saw marginal increases from FY2012 at $10.458 Billion to FY 2013 at $10.578 Billion, for a net increase of $120 Million. Here are some highlights of the funding allocations for FY 2013:

• $2.1 Billion - State of Good Repair 
• $422 Million - Bus and Bus Facilities formula program
• $1.907 Billion New Starts and Core Capacity 
• $4.398 Billion - Urbanized Area Formula Grants 
• $255 Million - Enhanced Mobility for Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities
• $519 Million - Growing States & High Density States Formula
• $10 Million - Transit-Oriented Development Pilot (TOD)

Here is a link to an overview presentation of the FTA's MAP-21 funding allocations:
http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/MAP-21_Public_Presentation.pdf
Published August 2012

Envision Solar set for partnership with Al Habtoor | utilities-me.com

Envision Solar set for partnership with Al Habtoor | utilities-me.com

Excerpt:

Aconfort president and CEO Aquilino Ornia, speaking on the deal, said, “It is a tremendous opportunity to partner with Envision Solar to expand the Solar Shaded Parking market in the UAE, Qatar and Spain. In the Middle East, the sun shines almost 365 days a year – we must take advantage of this opportunity to capture so much free energy and to also generate clean electricity that will help protect the environment. We selected Envision’s Solar Tree arrays because they are the best and will be most appealing to the market where we operate.”

FTA FY2012 Discretionary Grant Appropriations

Curious about which projects the Federal Transit Administration gave discretionary grant funding too? Well so was I. The US Department of Transportation just released a cool interactive map with info about the $787 million allocated by State of Good Repair, Bus Livability and Transit Asset Management Project grants to 255 projects across 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rio.

Here are the grant appropriations for transit systems of cities that I have lived in the US:

New York City - $34,468,000

The New York City Department of Transportation got $14,680,000 State of Good Repair grant to "rehabilitate 20 miles of existing bus lanes. Many of these lanes are in a state of poor repair, and NYCDOT has worked with the Pennsylvania State University to develop a more effective method of applying red lane markings that addresses past maintenance problems and greatly prolongs longevity." They also got a $3,400,000 Bus Livability grant to "implement a package of improvements along Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, making intermodal connection improvements such as better sidewalks, lighting, bus stop amenities, way finding, and subway station stairs."

The NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) got $24,000,000 State of Good Repair grant to "replace its obsolete bus radio system and construct a modernized bus command center. Bringing the bus radio system to a state of good repair is critical for day-to-day bus operations and will improve safety, service reliability and overall operating efficiency." They also got a $5,600,000 Transit Asset Management grant for the Integrated Whole Life Asset Management Planning System for the NYCT Bus Rolling Stock Revenue Fleet.

Los Angeles - $20,000,000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) got $10,000,000 State of Good Repair grant to "replace buses in its fleet that have met or exceeded their useful life with Clean Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles." They also got a Bus Livability grant of $10,000,000 for the Metro Orange Line Bus Enhancement project that will provide a pedestrian connection improvements to the North Hollywood Red Line Station.

San Diego - $13,000,000

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit system (MTS) got $10,000,000 State of Good Repair grant to "expand and modernize its East County Bus Maintenance Facility in Cajon. The buildings at this location were originally constructed in 1959, are no longer compliant with city and state building codes, and are hindering MTS' ability to maintain it nealy 100% CNG vehicle fleet. These renovations will also incorporate the use of solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint and energy use of the facility." They also got a $3,000,000 Transit Asset Management grant that is aimed at helping agencies "develop and implement new or improved transit asset management systems and cost-effective ways to manage and maintain the condition of their systems."