Author: Ilan Ackelsberg

Product Review: Streetmix

Imagine this scenario: You’re an urban planner meeting with a local block association to talk about making improvements to a main street. The community center’s rec room is booked, the catering arrives on-time, and the event is well-attended. You’ve prepared a nice PowerPoint presentation full of photos and renderings. Everything is going exactly as planned, […]

Towards a Just Restorative Justice

Over four years have passed since streets in New York City and across the US erupted in protests over the murder of George Floyd. This past summer, just a few days after the ten-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s death at the hands of the NYPD, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, in partnership with the […]

On the Grid: Reckoning with The Commissioners’ Plan of 1811

Lovers of low-budget New York City cult films might recognize the name Timothy “Speed” Levitch as the hero of The Cruise, a 1998 documentary that follows the local folk-philosopher, historian, and double-decker tour bus guide as he traverses the streets of Manhattan and sermonizes to the camera and anyone who’ll listen. At one point, Speed […]

Transforming Healthcare: The Impact of AI on Medical Diagnoses

When you show up at the doctor’s office with an illness, the first step towards getting healthy is making the correct diagnosis. The faster this happens, the better. However, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute Center for Diagnostic Excellence recently found that a staggering 11% of all medical problems in the US are initially […]

Navigating Data Security in the AI Era

At this point, you’ve surely heard of Generative AI, thanks to ChatGPT’s spectacular ascendancy over the last year. Everyone seems to be using it. Maybe you’re adopted it at work to make certain tasks more efficient. Your kids might be using it in school (for better or for worse). Companies are increasingly highlighting its role […]