urban planning

smart city

Smart City Data Platforms: What Local Governments Are Actually Using in 2026

The phrase "smart city" has been circulating in local government circles for over a decade. For much of that time it described an aspiration more than a reality — a future state where sensors, data, and connectivity would transform how cities operated, presented mostly through conference keynotes and federal

data tools

The Best Data Tools for Urban Planners in 2026 — Ranked by Use Case

There is no single best data tool for urban planners. That statement will frustrate anyone looking for a simple answer — but it reflects the reality of how data work actually happens in local government. A city analyst building a billing performance dashboard reaches for PowerBI. A database administrator pulling records