Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Matthias Winkenbach and Daniel E. Merchán of the MIT Megacity Logistics Lab explain that retailers are developing new distribution strategies in crowded urban areas. “The changing demands put a premium on innovative distribution models that are efficient, flexible, and resilient,” the authors explain.
Prof. Carlo Ratti writes about the proliferation of startup hubs around the world in this piece for Project Syndicate. “Before long, the digital world and the physical world will be indistinguishable,” writes Ratti. “The era of ‘Silicon Everywhere’ is upon us – and it is taking shape in the world’s cities.”
MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that can predict household income in urban areas based off of Google Street View images, writes Bourree Lam for The Atlantic. The algorithm "explains 77 percent of the variation in income at the block-group level,” explains graduate student Nikhil Naik.
Emily Price writes for The Guardian about MIT research scientist Caleb Harper’s work to develop sustainable, urban agriculture. “Depending on how you eat, about 30-40% of your diet could be produced urban or peri-urban and would be a lot better for you if it was,” says Harper.
Ryan Duffy reports for The Huffington Post on research scientist Caleb Harper’s food computer, designed to improve food-production efficiency. "The math is simple and staggering: we need to produce at least 50 percent more food to feed nine billion people by 2050," explains Duffy.
Matthew Nisbet, a professor at Northeastern University who focuses on climate change communication, writes for The Conversation about MIT’s Climate Action Plan. Nisbet writes that MIT’s plan can “serve as a model for how major research universities can accelerate effective societal actions on climate change by collaborating with a diversity of industry members.”
MIT researchers are using Legos to map out how changes in bus-rapid transit systems could affect transportation in Boston, writes Nina Godlewski for Boston.com. “Our ultimate objective is this idea of co-creation...We would like that to happen in how we produce 21st century transit systems,” explains Prof. Chris Zegras.
In a Financial Times article, John Aglionby writes about the impact of social media in Africa, highlighting how MIT researchers have developed a comprehensive map and application for Nairobi’s bus routes. The app allows users to “plot their way across the capital easily.”
MIT researchers have developed a website that displays information on how people use their cellphones in different neighborhoods and times, reports Kevin Hartnett for The Boston Globe. Prof. Carlo Ratti explains that the data says, “a lot about how we live and how our cities work.”
Prof. Carlo Ratti speaks with Catherine Lawson of Wired about the future of technologies and cities. “I think that we should focus more on design,” says Ratti. “Design is the best way not to predict the future, but to help create it.”
Bourree Lam reports for The Atlantic on an interactive map of U.S. counties produced using Prof. Amy Glasmeier’s Living Wage Calculator. “Glasmeier says that firms can use it to estimate how to pay their employees fairly,” writes Lam.
Ana Swanson reports for The Washington Post on an interactive map created by Prof. Amy Glasmeier that displays the gap between minimum wages and living wages across the U.S. The map shows that the East Coast “is one of the most challenging places for minimum-wage workers to make ends meet.”
Using their “Living Wage Calculator,” Prof. Amy Glasmeier’s team has created a map of the communities in the U.S. that have the widest gaps between living wages and minimum wages, reports Rob Wile for The Huffington Post.
Boston.com reporter Megan Turchi writes that MIT researchers have developed a map that compares the cost of living and minimum wage for households across the U.S. Prof. Amy Glasmeier explains that one of her goals for the map is to “to inspire policy makers to step up and ensure their wage scales were livable.”
Graduate student Jeffrey Rosenblum participates in a discussion on WBUR’s Radio Boston about biking in Boston. Rosenblum argues that people need more transportation options so they can “drive for the trips that make sense to drive, and they can bike for the trips that make sense to bike, and take transit.”