The legacy of the Lamborghini Miura is undeniable. As the first supercar by Ferruccio Lamborghini—at the time, a successful manufacturer of tractors, heating units, and air conditioners with a passion for cars—the Miura was developed with a dream team of young engineers and designers. Powered by a 350-hp 4.0-liter V12 engine that became the Raging Bull’s calling card, the Miura is what many deem the first proper supercar in the world in 1966.

Fast forward nearly 60 years and the Miura is still a revered treasure. Gorgeously designed and technically advanced for its time, this supercar is a coveted collector’s item. Somehow, three Miura examples ended up dusty and neglected in a mysterious junkyard where owner Rudi Klein stored cars made by Ferrari, Aston Martin, and other exotic automakers the way others collect stamps. 

According to auction house RM Sotheby’s, which will sell these supercars on October 26, Klein’s collection was a well-kept secret, with “only rumors of its existence swirling” within exclusive collectors’ circles. Klein died in 2001, and these cars have been slumbering peacefully waiting for this moment. 

Lamborghini says as many as 43 movies include a Miura, and Eddie Van Halen channeled the throaty sounds of a revving 1972 Miura S in his namesake band’s song “Panama.” It was born a star.

Now plucked from the grime and darkness that has cloaked a wealth of cars, engines, and parts for decades, these three Lamborghini Miura supercars are up for sale. And if you’re willing to put in a fair amount of money, time, and parts, a restored Miura could fetch much more than the expected selling prices of $400,000 to $700,000.

These Lamborghini cars aren’t nearly the most expensive on the block—that honor goes to a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Alloy’ Gullwing, which is expected to sell for $4.5 to $6 million, even dusty and dented from a low-speed collision from Klein’s forklift. Other masterpieces at auction include a 935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K ‘Caracciola’ Special Coupe by Sindelfingen; a one-off 1964 Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype by Bertone; and the only surviving Horch automobile, a 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster by Gläser. 

The Miura, however, has a special history in the hearts and minds of supercar fans, and seeing them emerge after being assumed lost for so many years makes this occasion an eventful one. If you’re in the market for a flawed but still gorgeous car and have the means to return it to a near-original state, these could emerge from their dusty cocoons as Monarch butterflies. 

The priciest Lamborghini at this RM Sotheby’s junkyard auction is a 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400, starting at $500,000. Swathed in bodywork by Bertone and coats of bright green paint, this Miura is 159th of 275 examples built and sports a sizable dent in the driver’s side door. It also holds a bit of intrigue: registered to a Mr. Zampolli in 1968, we can only speculate whether it could have been owned by Claudio Zampolli, the Lamborghini factory test engineer and driver. 

Second in line is a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, also with a Bertone design, that still bears its original blue paint. This one is powered by the same V12 engine as the original Miura, but with an additional 20 horsepower for a total of 370. Then one of the fastest production road cars on the market, the 1969 Miura has been shelved since 1978. Think about it: The last time this car saw sunlight was back when the Bee Gees were hitmakers and people brought seven layer salad to neighborhood block parties. While missing its clamshell and rocker panel trim, the Miura is a DIY project made for a capable restorer. 

“It is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable Miura S examples offered in recent memory. It deserves a brave new owner, one who is committed to bringing this incredible supercar back to life,” Cary Ahl, car specialist at RM Sotheby’s, told Robb Report.

The third Miura is a red 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 (also touched by Bertone) that will probably sell for $350,000 to $450,000. You should know, however, that this Miura is missing its engine or gearbox, critical (and expensive) elements for drivability. Built on a lightweight “thin chassis” design crafted on 0.9-inch-thick steel, in contrast to the typical 1.0-inch kind used in later models, this P400 was the 53rd Miura ever made. Once finished in Giallo, which is Italian for yellow, the car could (and should) be restored to its original glory. 

“Each car will necessitate a courageous collector prepared for a comprehensive restoration,” Ahl said, “but the rewards for bringing these  incredible supercars back to their former glory is immense.”

The post 3 ultra-rare Lamborghini Miuras unearthed at junkyard. They could sell for millions. appeared first on Popular Science.

• Cool Rose


• Neutral


• Rose Gold


• Gold


• Amber


• Standard (No edits)


• Vibrant


• Natural


• Luminous


• Dramatic


• Quiet


• Cozy


• Ethereal


• Muted Black and White


• Stark Black and White

While the US remains on track to send humans back to the moon, China isn’t far behind. In fact, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) hopes to deliver its own astronauts to the lunar surface before 2030—and they debuted the spacesuit to do it. The name, however, is still up in the air.

As Space News reports, the CMSA revealed their new extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit at an event on September 28 in Chongqing, China. Modeled by the country’s second woman in space, Wang Yaping, and fellow astronaut, Zhai Zhigang, the roll out focused almost solely on the suit’s exterior features. In particular, each new suit is considerably slimmer and more lightweight than the CMSA’s Feitian EVA attire used for low Earth orbit, and is covered in a protective fabric to guard against intense temperature swings and lunar dust. They also include a panoramic, anti-glare visor along with both short and long focal length cameras. Unlike their predecessors, the lunar suits will allow for far more flexibility while traversing the moon.

Apart from the practicalities, representatives explained that aesthetics were also important during the design phase. According to CNN, the predominantly white space suits include ribbonlike red stripes on their upper portions inspired by the “flying apsaras,” deities that appear in ancient Chinese art. The more rigid stripes on the legs, meanwhile, are intended to mimic “rocket launch flames,” with CMSA engineering office director Zhang Wanxin telling China’s CCTV that they represent an armor-like, “strong-willed and unswerving” motif. This weekend’s announcement also saw CMSA officials task the nation with helping name the new suits, which will be chosen at an unspecified later date. 

[Related: Polaris Dawn astronauts complete historic first commercial spacewalk.]

China recently completed its successful Chang’e-6 mission that saw an uncrewed probe return to Earth with the first-ever samples retrieved from the moon’s far side. The CMSA plans to send additional robotic spacecraft to the lunar south pole in 2026 and 2028 for further resource analysis ahead of the potential establishment of a permanent base. If Chinese astronauts do arrive on the moon by the end of the decade’s end, they will tentatively spend six hours on the surface before returning home.

China isn’t the only country updating their astronaut spacesuits. Last year, NASA revealed its next-generation EVA design courtesy of Axiom Space, while the Polaris Dawn mission’s first-ever commercial spacewalk showcased SpaceX’s latest attire. If all goes as planned, NASA hopes to send its Artemis 3 astronauts on an orbit around the moon no earlier than September 2026—although it’s looking increasingly likely that the launch window will shift back. The same is likely for the Artemis 4 lunar landing, currently scheduled for 2028.

The post China debuts its moon mission spacesuits appeared first on Popular Science.

Among the many bills signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom last week is the state’s first Complete Streets law, reports Melanie Curry for Streetsblog California.

“S.B. 960 requires Caltrans to prioritize road improvements for pedestrians, bike riders, and public transit users whenever it performs maintenance or does road work. That can include sidewalks, bike lanes, bus-only lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crosswalks, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, and more.” The law also calls for a “more transparent decision process” when local governments want to make safety improvements on state-managed roads, a move sometimes blocked by state agencies.

In addition to pedestrian and bike infrastructure, the bill requires Caltrans to develop a plan for prioritizing public transit, which “should make infrastructure like bus lanes and protected bus stops easier and faster to build.”

Curry notes that the law “still offers Caltrans ways to avoid doing the work that's needed,” and that local advocates must remain vigilant. 

The article details another new law, AB 2086, that requires Caltrans to conduct a financial analysis of its California Transportation Plan. “Right now, this plan, which lays the groundwork for the state's future transportation system, is an ‘aspirational’ plan without any solid discussion of funding sources - nor of where current funding is being spent or could be better spent.”

• Complete Streets
• California Department of Transportation
• CalTrans
• Multimodal Transportation
• Pedestrian infrastructure
• Bike Infrastructure
• Public Transit
• Road Safety
• Safe Streets

At a motocross track on a ranch outside of Austin, Texas, cows and horses roam freely. They watch unperturbed as motorcycles whiz around them in the dirt, registering mostly disinterest. The bovines and equines don’t know they’re witnessing the debut of Can-Am’s first motorcycles in 50 years: the all-electric Pulse and Origin models.

Can-Am, a $10.4 billion powersports manufacturer with nearly 20,000 employees worldwide, is leaning into the launch of its first motorcycles since 1973. At the same time, the Bombardier Recreational Products company is pushing into a space that isn’t yet well established: motorbikes without their distinctive fuel-fed roar.  

“Electric motorcycles are still super new,” says Can-Am’s global brand manager for on-road products Marc-Olivier Drouin. “We’re at the beginning of the story, like electric cars were in 2018.”

In other words, the forecast for electric motorcycles is sunny and mild, with a strong chance of rapid adoption. 

Like the pastoral scene in Texas, these two-wheeled vehicles are quiet. So quiet, in fact, that it may be a little unnerving for motorcycle fans accustomed to the typical vroom vroom sounds. At a stoplight, you can turn to your riding buddy and hear them clearly, which is delightful. The ride itself is silky-smooth, accelerating quickly and effortlessly.

Can-Am anticipates a big uptake from new riders on these motorcycles, and it’s easy to see why. Electric motorcycles require almost no instruction—turn it on via a sequence of safety steps clearly highlighted on the screen, flick your wrist to activate the throttle, and you’re off. That said, here’s your public service announcement: Take a motorcycle safety course before swinging your leg over a motorbike. Please. 

Both the Pulse and the Origin offer the same amount of power—47 horsepower—and share several components. These include the 8.9 kilowatt-hour liquid-cooled battery, a 6.6 kilowatt-hour charger that re-juices the motorcycles from 20 to 80 percent in about 50 minutes using a Level 2 charger. As such, these are easy charge-at-home options. The Pulse is made for the city, with a range of 100 miles, while the Origin can go for 90 miles on urban streets.

I’m a relatively new rider, and the Pulse with its 30.86-inch seat height was perfectly comfortable for me (I’m five feet, five inches tall); I found it easy to put my feet down at a stop. On the other hand, the Origin’s 34-inch seat height was made for people with longer legs than I have; experienced riders will likely have no problem with it, but laying down a 400-plus-pound bike wasn’t on my to-do list. 

Director of design and innovation for Can-Am’s on-road products Alain Massicotte says the shape of its new motorcycles is inspired by a snowy owl. In its natural form, the shape of the bird of prey is elegant and aerodynamic. Look at the lines of the electric motorcycles, and you’ll see the wingspan of the owl from the handlebars back to the seat. A bit of trivia: The snowy owl’s scientific name is Bubo scandiacus; the word Bubo is Latin for “horned owl” and fans of the original Clash of the Titans movie will remember that Perseus’ wise mechanical owl was named Bubo. That Bubo wasn’t gas powered, either.

Nearly every part of the Pulse and Origin was designed and built by Can-Am, including the software. Massicotte, who has been with Can-Am for nearly 30 years, says multiple challenges arose while designing these motorbikes. At the top of the list is the structural battery, which uses an alloy diecast developed in house for that purpose. This design creates a lightweight architecture, as components could be attached directly to the battery case instead of additional framing. 

“The electric machine is mounted to the swing arm as unsprung mass,” says the director for EV research and development Andre Gilbert, who has been working on this project for five years. “Typically, you don’t want unsprung mass on a motorcycle because it affects the vehicle dynamic. But this is so close to the pivot point, it keeps it tight.”

Can-Am opted for GaN (gallium nitride), a higher-performance material than the typical silicon carbide (SiC) battery. Gilbert says using GaN allowed Can-Am to make a more efficient and lighter bike. Both bikes offer a regen mode: by twisting the throttle in the reverse direction, the rider sends the AC current back through the inverter for DC storage in the battery.  

Using digital tools, the manufacturer analyzed the two-wheelers in myriad ways before creating a physical model. Then they strapped the test version to a machine that basically shakes, pulls, and vibrates it to see how far they can push it. 

Several months ago during a snowmobile testing session with Ski-Doo (Can-Am’s cold-weather sibling under the BRP umbrella) I learned about the company’s electric sleds, which share a battery with the Pulse and the Origin. The idea of powering through Yellowstone National Park on a quiet snowmobile is quite appealing; however, its limitations are significant. The Grand Touring model can go up to 31 miles and the larger Expedition 18.6 miles when the battery is at 100 percent, and charging takes about 90 minutes on a Level 2 charger. That’s under optimum conditions–Ski-Doo says the range may vary depending on conditions, and that mileage is based on a max speed of 15.5 miles per hour. 

Can-Am’s e-motorcycles offer three times that amount, which is good news. The average commuter will find that 100 miles is plenty of juice for several back-and-forth trips in the lighter Pulse before charging. Dirt bike fans may find the Origin’s range disappointing if they want to go hard all day on a motocross track, but casual riders should be satisfied. 

Still, these new electric motorbikes offer an appealing option for those looking for a quiet, simple ride without the complications of a gearbox or clutch. That’s something new riders, especially, will appreciate, and that’s what Can-Am is hoping. By making nearly all of its components in-house, Can-Am has a tighter control over its future, and you can expect to see greater improvements in the next iteration. 

The Can-Am Pulse starts at $13,999 and the Origin is $500 more for a starting price of $14,499.

The post Can-Am’s first motorcycles in 50 years set the (handle)bar high for e-motorbikes appeared first on Popular Science.

The Los Angeles City Council approved $50,000 for a new Safe Parking pilot program in the West San Fernando Valley. The program will allow unhoused people living in recreational vehicles to securely park and access services at a designated site.

According to an article by Rebekah Ludman for The Los Angeles Post, Los Angeles legalized living in vehicles in 2014, when the homelessness crisis made living in cars the only option for many. Since then, Safe Parking L.A. has been working to provide safe parking sites around the city. “The city developed a Safe Parking Pilot Program in 2016 as part of its strategy to address homelessness across L.A. This later became an approach for interim housing. Safe Parking L.A. operates in the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, downtown L.A., and West L.A.”

The program offers outreach services and case management for residents. “The funding will also be used to give financial assistance for people using the services to pay for driver’s license fees, vehicle registration and renewal, any auto-related repairs, smog checks, and more.”

• Los Angeles
• Homelessness
• Unhoused
• Safe Parking Lots
• Safe Parking L.A.
• Supportive Services

The LA BioBlitz Challenge is a month-long event held in October, encouraging participants to document the diverse wildlife across Los Angeles using the iNaturalist app. Residents are invited to explore local parks, neighborhoods, and natural spaces to photograph and map various species of plants and animals. The initiative, organized by the Los Angeles Public Library and other local partners, aims to raise awareness about LA's urban biodiversity and contribute valuable data to conservation efforts.

By participating in the BioBlitz, individuals can assist scientists in understanding the distribution of species, including those in areas that have been under-researched. The challenge is accessible to all skill levels, with participants simply needing to download the iNaturalist app, take photographs of wildlife, and upload their observations. This data will become part of a global database used by researchers, helping to foster better environmental stewardship in the city.

Prizes are awarded to participants who complete at least ten observations, with special focus on submissions from under-represented neighborhoods. The challenge not only helps improve knowledge of LA’s natural environment but also engages the community in protecting the city’s ecosystems. The LA BioBlitz is part of a larger movement promoting biodiversity through community science; it is a fun and impactful way to contribute to environmental conservation.

• Biodiversity
• Parks
• Nature
• Ecology
• Wildlife
• Urban wildlife

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $929.00 ($70 off)


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00 ($100 off)


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,475.00 ($124 off)


• 1TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,593.00 ($106 off)


• 2TB Wi-Fi - $1,845.00 ($154 off)


• 2TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,934.00 ($165 off)

• 256GB Wi-Fi - $1,198.00 ($101 off)


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,386.00 ($113 off)


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,748.00 ($151 off)


• 1TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $1,843.00 ($156 off)


• 2TB Wi-Fi - $2,099.00 ($200 off)


• 2TB Wi-Fi with Nano-Texture Glass - $2,199.00 ($200 off)

Earth’s tallest mountain is getting even taller. An eroding river gorge has thrusted Mount Everest  higher, as it pulls rock and sediment away from the area. Over the past 89,000 years it is believed to have increased the mountain’s height by as much as 164 feet. The findings are detailed in a study published September 30 in the journal Nature Geoscience.

At over five miles or 29,032-feet high, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. Called Chomolungma in Tibetan or Sagarmāthā in Nepali, the mountain rises roughly 820 feet above the second tallest peak in the Himalayas. It is also considered anomalously high for this mountain range. The next three tallest peaks–K2, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotse–all only differ by about 393 feet from each other in height.

“Mount Everest is a remarkable mountain of myth and legend and it’s still growing,” study co-author and University College London PhD study Adam Smith said in a statement. “Our research shows that as the nearby river system cuts deeper, the loss of material is causing the mountain to spring further upwards.”

[Related: The rocky history of a missing 26,000-foot Himalayan peak.]

This huge height difference can be partially explained by an uplifting force that is caused by pressure from below Earth’s crust. The underground pressure began after a river eroded away a large amount of rocks and soils, a geological effect called isostatic rebound. The rebound occurs when a portion of the Earth’s crust that loses mass flexes and “floats” upwards due to the intense pressure of the liquid mantle below. This pressure is greater than the downward force of gravity after the loss of mass. 

Isostatic rebound is a fairly gradual process, moving only a few millimeters per year, but can make a significant difference to the Earth’s surface over time. 

In this new study, the team used erosion data to create numerical models that simulate the evolution of the nearby Kosi River network. Their models show that Mount Everest grew by roughly 50 to 164 feet over the last 89,000 years, after the Arun River merged with the Kosi river network.

Currently, the Arun river runs to the east of Mount Everest. It then merges downstream with the larger Kosi river system. Over thousands of years, the Arun has carved out a substantial gorge along its banks, washing away billions of tons of sediment and earth at the same time.

“An interesting river system exists in the Everest region. The upstream Arun river flows east at high altitude with a flat valley,” study co-author and China University of Geosciences geologist Jin-Gen Dai said in a statement. “It then abruptly turns south as the Kosi river, dropping in elevation and becoming steeper. This unique topography, indicative of an unsteady state, likely relates to Everest’s extreme height.”

Mount Everest is also not the only spot that is affected by this uplifting. Neighboring peaks including the world’s fourth and fifth highest peaks–Lhotse and Makalu–are also inching upwards. The same isostatic rebound is boosting these mountains by a similar amount as it is doing to Everest. However, because Makalu is located closest to the Arun River, the team believes it is seeing a slightly higher rate of uplift.

“Mount Everest and its neighboring peaks are growing because the isostatic rebound is raising them up faster than erosion is wearing them down,” study co-author and University College London geochemist Matthew Fox said in a statement. “We can see them growing by about two millimeters a year using GPS instruments and now we have a better understanding of what’s driving it.”

[Related: There might be underground ‘mountains’ near Earth’s core.]

By studying the erosion rates of the Arun, the Kosi, and other rivers in this region, the team were able to pinpoint that the Arun river joined and merged with the Kosi river network about 89,000 years ago. During this natural process called drainage piracy, more water was funneled through the Kosi river. Its erosive power increased with the water levels and took away the area’s soils and sediments. As more of the land washed away, an increased rate of uplift was triggered, pushing the mountains’ peaks higher and higher.

“The changing height of Mount Everest really highlights the dynamic nature of the Earth’s surface,” study co-author and China University of Geosciences geologist Xu Han said in a statement. “The interaction between the erosion of the Arun river and the upward pressure of the Earth’s mantle gives Mount Everest a boost, pushing it up higher than it would otherwise be.”

The post Mount Everest is still growing taller appeared first on Popular Science.

The Dallas City Council approved the adoption of the ForwardDallas 2.0 comprehensive land use plan, according to an article by April Towery in Candy’s Dirt.

The plan, which will be reevaluated in five years per a provision in the document, was amended several times before gaining council approval.

The amendments include: adding language to ensure that land use decisions in areas with historic resources adhere to current and future historic preservation plans; requiring the five-year review; a call for simplifying and incentivizing adaptive reuse of historic properties; and an expansion of historic preservation tools such as neighborhood overlays.

Critics of the plan say it fails to focus on affordable housing and lacks enforcement mechanisms.  

• Dallas
• Forward Dallas
• Comprehensive Plans
• Zoning
• Zoning Reform
• Land Use Reform

Il primo ottobre il Presidente di Esri Inc. ospite dell'evento presso la Camera dei deputati dal titolo “Gemelli digitali e intelligenza artificiale: l’innovazione digitale per lo sviluppo infrastrutturale dei territori”.

Martedì primo ottobre, presso la Nuova Aula dei gruppi parlamentari alla Camera dei deputati, Jack Dangermond sarà presente all’evento, organizzato da Esri Italia in collaborazione con Assinter Italia, dal titolo “Gemelli digitali e intelligenza artificiale: l’innovazione digitale per lo sviluppo infrastrutturale dei territori”. Pioniere della tecnologia GIS e presidente fondatore di Esri, Jack Dangermond interverrà con un suo speech su come l'uso delle tecnologie digitali quali il BIM e l'intelligenza artificiale stia migliorando notevolmente la progettazione, la costruzione e la gestione delle infrastrutture, consentendo di coniugare sostenibilità, efficienza e sicurezza, tanto dei lavoratori quanto degli utenti e dei cittadini, in un contesto storico e sociale in cui territori e le città sono sempre più le arene naturali dove l’impatto dell’innovazione digitale si concretizza e si confronta con la vita quotidiana delle persone.

Chi è Jack Dangermond

Presidente di Esri, azienda

Our smartphones are usually our constant companions, coming with us everywhere we go—and that includes trips abroad. On these occasions, certain phone features that you perhaps don’t ordinarily use can become much more helpful.

Here we’re going to cover seven features that will prove useful while traveling, whether you’re trying to work out how much something costs or trying to make yourself understood. They’re all available in the latest version of iOS, which at the time of writing is iOS 18.

You might not have realized it, but the iPhone Calculator app comes with a built-in currency converter. With the basic calculator interface on screen, tap the calculator icon down in the bottom-left corner, then turn on the Convert toggle switch. You can then tap the labels next to the numbers to choose the currencies you want to convert between.

There’s lots to explore in Apple Maps for the regular traveler—as you might expect—and if you run a search for a large city or a popular destination, you should see there’s a Guides option next to it. Tap on this to have a look through a variety of guides pulled from the web, giving you advice on everything from the best museums to the top eating spots.

Even better, you can create your own guides to places as well. Highlight somewhere on the map, like a bar or a park, then tap on the More button: An Add to Guides option will pop up, and you can then create your own guides to specific places or for specific trips. It’s perfect for remembering all the places you think you’ll want to check off on a journey.

Did you know the iPhone comes with its own Compass app? Search for it through the App Library if you can’t see it on any of your home screens. You get your bearing, your current location, and your elevation—if you want to stay pointed towards a certain direction, tap on the compass to put down a marker. Tap on the compass again to remove the marker.

If you’ve not explored the Find My app on your iPhone, it’s a great way of keeping tabs on the locations of close friends and family. On the People tab you can see individuals who are currently sharing their location with you, and choose to share yours in return—tap the + (plus) button on the right to look through your contacts and make other connections.

You can use this location sharing functionality to make sure everyone in your group is safe, as well as to make it easier to all gather together in the same place at the same time. If you’d rather share your location on a less permanent basis, you can do this through the Messages app: In a conversation, tap the + (plus) button, then pick Location from the list.

Swipe down from the middle of any home screen, type out the number of a flight, choose the top result, and your iPhone will bring up a screen of useful information about it: You’ll be able to see departure and arrival times, for example, as well as the plane’s current position on a map. You can also see airport, terminal, and gate information here.

Smartphone apps keep getting better at translation, and the Translate app on iOS is no different. Load it up and straight away you can translate between two languages, either by typing into the text fields or speaking out what you need translating (tap the microphone icon to do this). You can get help with pronunciation too, via the play buttons.

There’s much more you can do here as well: Tap on the Conversation tab to open a view you can use to get instant audio translations through your iPhone when you’re speaking face-to-face with someone, or use the Camera tab to get translations of any printed text you come across on your travels (very helpful for signs and menus, for example).

Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity might be at a premium on your travels, but you can download maps in advance to use them offline: In Apple Maps, tap on your profile picture on the pop-up info card, then choose Offline Maps and Download New Map. You can then search for a location (such as a city you’re heading to) to download a map of the area.

The post 7 helpful iPhone features to use on your next vacation appeared first on Popular Science.

How do we preserve crucial walkable urban places? Robert Steuteville seeks to answer this question in a piece for CNU Public Square, referencing a new report called Reiminaging Cities: Disrupting the Urban Doom Loop from Cushman & Wakefield with Christopher Leinberger and Places Platform.

The report outlines the importance of Walkable urban places (WalkUPs) as “efficient economic engines” that generate 57 percent of GDP while only taking up 3 percent of land in 15 major metro areas studied by the authors.

For decades, these urban centers focused on office buildings as the driving force. “Using portfolio theory to rebalance real estate toward less office space (work), more play (culture, entertainment, retail), and more residential (especially for-sale housing) would shift these urban centers back to the positive economic track they were on prior to COVID, the report concludes.”

Key recommendations include reducing the amount of office space and increasing residential units via conversion and new construction, increasing the diversity of businesses and services, and adding more amenities geared toward entertainment and recreation.

The report calls our current ‘doom loop’ an ‘episodic’ one that can be rectified through zoning and regulatory reform and a shift to accommodating more diverse uses and schedules.

• Urban Doom Loop
• Downtowns
• Commercial Districts
• Central Business Districts
• Office Conversion
• Office Vacancies

A General Directive issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires transit agencies to address violence against transit workers. “The General Directive is necessary because from 2013 to 2021, the National Transit Database (NTD) documented a 120 percent increase in the number of assaults against transit workers,” according to a FTA press release.

As U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg noted, “Over the past decade, we’ve seen a tragic and unacceptable rise in verbal and physical assaults on the men and women who are critical in providing a transportation lifeline for millions of people.”

Over 700 agencies subject to FTA’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) regulation must complete a series of actions including conducting a risk assessment, identifying strategies to mitigate risk, and reporting to the FTA. “Every transit agency serving a large, urbanized area (with a population of more than 200,000 people) must comply with PTASP requirements to involve the joint labor-management Safety Committee when identifying safety risk mitigations and strategies.”

• Public Transit
• Transit Safety
• Transit Security
• Transit Operators