Building a Smarter City: Baton Rouge Shows that Bigger Isn’t (Necessarily) Better
According to the IESE Cities in Motion Index, New York City, London, Paris and Tokyo topped the list of the world’s “smartest cities” in 2018. When megacities (with populations of more than 8 million) top these types of rankings, it’s easy to lose sight of the areas of real opportunity. In fact, much of the innovation and explosive growth in the Smart City arena is happening in small and midsize cities. This makes sense. Although megacities have the staff and budgets to really embrace some of...
Project Management Insights: Don’t Keep Falling for These Project-Management Myths
In an industry that claims innovation and technology are necessary, welcomed and respected, it’s counter-intuitive and unprogressive to hold onto myths—especially regarding project management. Perhaps you or a colleague are steadfast in agreement of the following common myths; I’m offering an alternative viewpoint for consideration and change. Myth: Clients only want to work with a principal of the firm. I often see firm leaders stall the promotion of team members to project manager (PM) or pr...
CAVTEC Moves Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Forward
Smart mobility solutions—such as connected infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, data-driven mobility and intelligent transport systems—are gaining ground in the transportation industry. To further these emerging smart mobility solutions, Space Institute Research Corp. (SIRC), an independent research and development organization at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), recently partnered with Stantec to develop the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Technology Evaluation Center (...
Code Update: SuRe: The Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
Infrastructure is a key component of a functioning economy and fundamental to the livelihoods of billions of people throughout the world. Infrastructure supports social and economic systems by enabling access to critical services such as provision of water, health and education; increasing connectivity among cities through roads and other means of transport; and providing housing to the whole population. Infrastructure is developed to last for decades, and a large part of the infrastructure tha...
Executive Corner: Is Your Business Focus Hurting Profitability?
Companies often say they’re client-, design- or employee-focused. The purpose of identifying your focus helps to communicate how you execute business strategies with your employees, clients, competitors and shareholders. Firms employ these focused strategies to create a path for delivering value and enhancing profitability. These are excellent examples of the types of possible focus areas to consider for your company. However, do they truly capture the essence of your company? An increasing num...
Thoughts From Engineers: Look to the Watershed to Protect Water Quality
The results of an in-depth study of groundwater released in early 2019 showed that 42 percent of private wells in southwest Wisconsin are contaminated with bacteria associated with farm operations and failing septic systems. In northeast Wisconsin, the region’s geology consists of a thin layer of topsoil over fractured limestone. Groundwater is vulnerable here, as cows outnumber people 5 to 1 in Brown County, Wis., and agriculture is the main economic driver (think Green Bay Packers), generating...
From the Editor: The Vocabulary and Eras Change, But Smart Engineering Is Timeless
Thousands of words are added to the dictionary every year. Some are “made-up” words added because they’re often used, like “buzzy” or “guac.” Some are old words with new definitions, such as “cloud” and “footprint.” Other words have even changed from nouns to verbs, as in “friend” and “text.” Some are new because we needed them, including “airplane mode” or “page view.” The language used in the engineering design world today is almost completely different from the language I learned in college...
Change Leader: Automated Information Collection and Analysis On Job Sites
These profiles are based on interviews, and the opinions and statements are those of the subject and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by this publication. Rory San Miguel is the co-founder and CEO of Propeller, which creates tools and software for construction companies, mines, quarries and landfills to collect, process and visualize accurate survey data. “I think we’re past the point of no return with drones on construction sites,” says San Miguel. “It’s not actually risky anymore...
Grid Modernization Will Require Active, Holistic Network Management
As concerns about aging infrastructure in the electric industry fester, the promise of grid modernization is gaining increasing sway as power suppliers pursue optimized uptime and resilience while satisfying consumer cravings for lowered carbon footprints. Utility business models are changing to accommodate growing volumes of renewable energy coming onto the grid. New services are being demanded by customers, and new and divergent forms of energy are testing the flexibility and capacity of thei...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Sustainability: How Can We Help?
At about the time I was leaving my old firm in 2004, one of the large national architectural firms we worked with made a corporate announcement. Their firm would be focusing on the green movement (predominantly LEED at the time) and were committed to designing their buildings to be more sustainable. They planned to have everyone in their firms, presumably the architects, achieve LEED certification within the next year, and they were asking all their consultants to do the same. They wanted everyo...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
