General News News
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
CNT’s very first Urban Sustainability Hackathon is this weekend, October 5-7, and we’re very excited to see what the coders and developers are going to come up. The event follows the Reinventing Chicago conversation, where Scott Bernstein, Andrés Duany, and John Tolva will talk with Laura Washington, a veteran Chicago-area journalist, about how technology can address problems raised by urban planning to make it easier to build and live in smart cities.
The hackathon is a way to crowdsource the effort it takes to bring an exciting new idea to fruition: the developers will meet to discuss the topics and ideas raised and brainstorm what they want to do and, finally, split into teams based on interest. They’ll then have 33 hours with access to CNT and the City of Chicago’s proprietary models and datasets to work on their ideas. Read more »
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Thursday, September 27th, 2012
CNT’s upcoming event, Reinventing Chicago: What’s Technology Got To Do with It? features talks from experts such as CNT’s own President Scott Bernstein, seminal architect and urban planner Andrés Duany, and the Chief Technology Officer for the City of Chicago John Tolva. We are enthusiastically looking forward to John’s speech because, ever since taking the position of CTO in May 2011, John has worked tirelessly for a more free and open method of storing city data, which allows for the development of tools and online applications that use this data and support sustainable lifestyles and choices.
John began his career in information technology at IBM, as a manager of Corporate Community Relations, focusing on projects concerned with cultural heritage. Most notable of his projects while there were the site of the Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in which visitors can search through and view more than 5,000 masterpieces; and Eternal Egypt, a multimedia re-creation of artifacts, monuments, and historical events that “weave together seven millennia of Egyptian culture and civilization.” Read more »
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Monday, September 24th, 2012
CNT’s upcoming event, Reinventing Chicago: What’s Technology Got To Do with It? features talks from experts such as CNT’s own President Scott Bernstein, the Chief Technology Officer for the City of Chicago John Tolva, and seminal architect and urban planner Andrés Duany. We are very excited to be working with Mr. Duany, because in looking for a figure in smart, sustainable development, we couldn’t have found a better authority.
Andrés worked as a successful condominium developer in Miami, Florida until 1980, when he became disillusioned with developer culture and formed an independent practice with his wife: Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ). DPZ began working on smart urban planning using a philosophy that came to be known as New Urbanism. Thirty years later, Andrés says this of New Urbanism:
“Basically it is making communities that are mixed-use and mixed-income and complete, to the extent that they allow you to live without a car. And that has all sorts of implications. For the 50 percent of Americans who do not drive, they have a kind of freedom of movement.” Read more »
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Thursday, September 6th, 2012
CNT is excited to announce the Reinventing Chicago conversation and Hackathon! The event is a one-day conversation between the public and three great thinkers on technology and sustainability followed by a weekend-long Hackathon in which developers will compete with each other to turn the ideas raised at the conversation into reality. The conversation is being hosted by Red Frog Events and the Hackathon is hosted by TechNexus Venture Collaborative on October 4 and October 5-7, respectively.
Reinventing Chicago: What’s Technology Got to Do with It? will seek to answer the question: how can the “placeless” internet address problems like housing, transportation, and energy usage and support sustainable development of real places? What sorts of apps and tools can be developed to facilitate a smarter use of land, buildings, and resources? These are the sorts of issues our three experts will be addressing during the conversation. Read more »
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Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
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2011 was a truly eventful year at CNT. We hit the ground running and we have many exciting new projects in the pipeline for 2012. Thank you for your interest in our work!
Take a look at our highlights of 2011 ››
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Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
CNT has been recognized for its innovative work in promoting urban sustainability. The U.S. Green Building Council –Illinois Chapter presented CNT with a Natural Leaders Award at its 6th Annual Emerald Gala on May 21st. CNT’s president Scott Bernstein was recognized recently by Planetizen, one of the most respected websites for the city planning, design and development profession. Planetizen’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, Chris Steins, included Scott in his list of 25 leading thinkers and innovators in the field of urban planning and technology. CNT’s website has also been acknowledged as one of the best resources for urban planning, design, and development. We are grateful for all this recognition. Read more »
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
CNT and I-GO Car Sharing are encouraged by the announcement today of Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel’s appointments to key transportation positions. Former Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool will become CTA president and bring a management track record that will serve the CTA well. Terry Peterson will provide continuity as the chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, a position he’s held since 2009. Gabe Klein, former director of the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation, will become the next commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation. Read more »
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Friday, April 15th, 2011
CNT has purchased a building at 1741 N. Western Ave. to accommodate growth in the organization and our two affiliates, CNT Energy and I-GO Car Sharing. The expansion reflects the increased demand for CNT’s solutions that simultaneously promote economic growth and environmental sustainability. Staff will move into the building this summer. Read more »
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Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villagairosa was in D.C. Wednesday, along with the heads of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO—two groups that don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on most things—to promote an innovative local-federal financing plan that would allow communities to build new transit infrastructure much faster than usual—say, 10 years instead of 30. In a recent essay about rising gas prices and what we need to do to protect ourselves, our economy and the planet, CNT’s president Scott Bernstein pointed to Mayor Villagairosa’s plan as a long-term strategy we need to pursue.
In that same essay, he laid out several short-term strategies that are ready to go right now to avoid pain at the pump this summer and into the future. Read the full article here.
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Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel has selected CNT’s Kathy Tholin and Jacky Grimshaw to participate on two transition teams that will help shape his administration’s policies around sustainability, energy, and transportation.
CNT Chief Executive Officer Kathy Tholin will bring her 30+ years of experience promoting sustainable policies to the Energy, Environment, and Public Space Committee. Jacky Grimshaw, CNT’s Vice President for Policy, will put her experience in public policy advocacy, transportation research and community economic development to use on Emmanuel’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Jacky is also a board member of the Chicago Transit Authority. Read more »
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