Arnie Cooper of Newsweek writes about the new MIT study that found taxi sharing could have significant impacts on New York City’s transportation system. Researchers in the MIT Senseable City Lab envision a future application that would facilitate ride sharing.
U.S. News & World Report’s Alan Neuhauser writes about the MIT taxi-sharing study. "This research shows what would happen if people have sharing as an option. And that choice is becoming increasingly popular, as the availability of real time information in our pockets allows us to make immediate, informed decisions based on our needs and resources," says Prof. Carlo Ratti.
Michael Casey of Fortune reports on the new MIT study that examines taxi sharing in New York City. The researchers found that more than 95 percent of taxi trips could be shared with only a minimal inconvenience to passengers.
BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman examines new MIT research on the benefits of sharing a cab. The researchers found that implementing a taxi-sharing system “would translate to cuts in emissions and traffic congestion, as well as untold improvements to the sanity of commuters stuck in rush-hour traffic,” Subbaraman writes.
Kenneth Chang and Joshua Krisch report for The New York Times on the new MIT study showing that if New Yorkers shared taxis they could significantly reduce cumulative trip lengths, which would help alleviate traffic and air pollution in the city.
The Economist reports on how MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that predicts the perceived safety of different streets based off of visual cues. The researchers hope to use their research results to generate guidelines for how to make an urban area look safe and lively.
Freakonomics speaks with MIT Professor Eran Ben-Joseph about his book, “Rethinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking,” which offers solutions to the parking lot.
Krissy Clark of NPR reports on Professor Amy Glasmeier’s work developing the MIT Living Wage Calculator. Clark reports that through examining the cost of living, Glasmeier found that areas with higher poverty rates tended to have higher amounts of minimum wage jobs where the minimum wage, “absolutely was not paying people enough to live on.”
Ruth Graham of The Boston Globe writes about Professor Franz-Josef Ulm’s work with “urban physics.” Ulm’s research, “places him among a number of scientists now using the tools of physics to analyze the practically infinite amount of data that cities produce in the 21st century, from population density to the number of patents produced to energy bill charges.”
Liat Clark reports for Wired on Changing Environments, an MIT Media Lab spinoff that is developing solar-powered smart benches to be placed around Cambridge and Boston. These benches allow users to charge their mobile devices and download environmental data.
The New York Times cites a paper by MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning on placemaking, a term for people’s efforts to shape their environment to improve social interaction and quality of life. The paper finds that these efforts help participants develop new social bonds with one another.
Kris Anderson reports for WHDH on MindRider, a bike helmet developed by a team at MIT that monitors the rider’s stress levels while also tracking location. "By mapping your community, you can really grow the safety and your own ridership in your town," said project leader Arlene Ducao.
“The Media Lab’s Changing Places group has uploaded a video demonstration of CityHome, a transformable multi-purpose piece of furniture they designed to make your 200-square-foot apartment feel three times larger,” writes Eric Randall for Boston Magazine. CityHome responds to touch and voice control and includes appliances, furniture, and storage space.
A. J. McCarthy writes for Slate about the CityHome mechanical closet developed by Media Lab researchers that is designed to save space in small, urban apartments. The CityHome includes a bed, kitchen appliances, and storage compartments that respond to voice and touch.
CNN features a new park bench from the Media Lab designed to use solar energy to charge mobile devices. Researchers hope that technologies like the solar-powered bench will help cities use energy more efficiently.