With more than 200 million monthly active users, Twitter is not just the domain of people like Bill Gatesor Anthony Bourdain. Transportation consultants, developers, and urban planners are using Twitteras a way to keep current with the latest industry trends, connect with local community organizations and media outlets, learn about potential funding opportunities, and keep in touch with transportation colleagues.
Last year, Urban Land compiled a list of the most influential transportation infrastructure people on Twitter. This ranking—updated for the current year—includes the entity’s name and Twitter handle, alongside the account’s rankings in reach, engagement, and influence. Each person’s Twitalyzer and Klout scores, produced by two of the most commonly used ranking websites, have been included as well. The methodology, fine-tuned since last year, is explained in more detail in the paragraphs below the chart.*
Here are the top 25 Twitter feeds to follow covering transportation infrastructure:
Scores Reflect Social Media Analytics Measured as of March 14, 2013.
Rank | Name | Twitter Handle | Twitalyzer Impact Score | Klout Score |
1 | Richard Florida | 22.3 | 84 | |
2 | Jeff Wood | 20.2 | 62 | |
3 | Matt Yglesias | 19.4 | 80 | |
4 | The Atlantic Cities | 11.7 | 80 | |
5 | Metropolis Magazine | 11.4 | 81 | |
6 | Urban Land Institute | 10.7 | 66 | |
7 | Sustainable Cities | 10.4 | 69 | |
8 | Ray LaHood | 9.6 | 68 | |
9 | Spacing Magazine | 8.8 | 64 | |
10 | Smarter Planet | 6.8 | 65 | |
11 | Curbed NY | 6.6 | 63 | |
12 | Planetizen | 5.7 | 64 | |
13 | Reconnecting America | 5.2 | 50 | |
14 | The Project for Public Spaces | 4.9 | 66 | |
15 | Next City | 4.8 | 65 | |
16 | Streetsblog Network | 4.3 | 64 | |
17 | Mark Abraham | 4.1 | 65 | |
18 | Congress for the New Urbanism | 4.0 | 60 | |
19 | Tri-State Transportation Campaign | 3.9 | 52 | |
20 | American Planning Association | 3.6 | 62 | |
21 | Greater Greater Washington | 3.5 | 62 | |
22 | Copenhagenize Design Co. | 3.2 | 73 | |
23 | Joe Peach (This Big City) | 3.2 | 64 | |
24 | WNYC’s Transportation Nation | 2.9 | 63 | |
25 | Gensler | 2.9 | 58 |
*A group of 25 influential transportation industry thought leaders on Twitter was initially picked for examination. Each thought leader had to meet specific follower/following requirements before being included in the subject pool. To be included in the subject pool, a thought leader’s Twitter account must be following at least 50 people, but no more than 1,500. In addition, so that those Twitter accounts that follow everyone who follows them could be eliminated, Twitter accounts had to have at least five times more followers than following.
These leaders’ main Twitter pages were analyzed with a social analytics tool called Followerwonk, identifying overlaps in which accounts they were following on Twitter. Followerwonk helped determine which Twitter accounts were most followed between this initial group of Twitter accounts. The “most shared” accounts were compiled into a second group.
This second group was measured through different established algorithms to determine popularity and influence. Rankings were then ordered based on their Twitalyzer impact score, a measurement that combines the number of followers, how often the user is retweeted, the frequency with which the user posts updates, the number of references/citations by other users, and how often the user is retweeting other people. Twitalyzer believes this score to be the most accurate assessment of a user’s impact and “buzz” on Twitter.