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Youve landed. You leave the chaos of the airport behind and drop into the chaos of a new city. Its big, loud, and full of opportunities . . . and tourists. If you want to experience this new city like someone who actually lives there, you need tools that help you skip the lines, ditch the tourist traps, and navigate the local landscape with insider confidence. Forget the default maps and review sites everyone uses. Here are three genuinely free, under-the-radar apps that will transform you from a wide-eyed visitor into a savvy urban explorer. Atlas Obscura The biggest mistake a traveler makes is sticking to the big red arrow on the generic tourist map. If you want to find a citys overlooked history, oddball museums, and secret public gardens, you need a guide for the curious. Atlas Obscura is exactly that guide. The free app is a comprehensive, community-generated catalog of the world’s most wondrous and peculiar places. The crucial feature is the map view, which instantly pulls up hundreds of fascinating and unique points of interest near your current location, turning a simple walk into a genuine treasure hunt. Citymapper Once youre in a dense city, a car is often a liability. And while public transportation is an obvious strategy, navigating a new subway, bus, or ferry network can feel like trying to decipher ancient hieroglyphics. Citymapper is a public transit solution built by people who actually ride the subway. If youre visiting New York, London, Chicago, or any of the supported major cities, this app will not only calculate the fastest route, but it will tell you hyper-specific details that Google Maps often misses. The standout feature is its granularity: It gives you the best subway car to board so you exit closest to your destination, provides real-time train and bus arrival times, and blends every mode of transportfrom shared bikes to ferriesinto one comprehensive itinerary. Roasters If youre a serious coffee drinker, you know the despair of being stuck in a new city with only generic chain coffee shops. Finding a true, quality local experience often requires hours of tedious searching and review-sifting. Roasters is a free app built by coffee enthusiasts for coffee enthusiasts, specifically curating over 21,000 specialty coffee shops worldwide and cutting out the chains to focus only on independent businesses known for quality beans and preparation. The community-driven discovery map highlights shops that are often off the beaten path and lets you check reviews from fellow coffee lovers who share your high standards.
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This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. Short on time? Read this 30-second summary of todays post. Download a free, private AI program to run on your computer. Use it offline without any subscription cost and avoid the risk of having sensitive info ingested into a large language model like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. The newest versions of private AI tools like Jan run easily on my 2021 Mac laptop, cost nothing, and are easy to use. Theyre a good alternative to costlier AI platforms. Quick start guide Download and install Jan for free. Other good free alternatives to consider include Msty, AnythingLLM, or LM Studio. Open Jan and pick an open-source large language model. The model you use impacts the AIs response style. You can switch anytime. I use the v1 model. Try your first query. Here are a few quick mini prompts to start with:Summarize the pros and cons of using AI for [specific task].Turn my rough notes below into a short summary and bullet points.”“Turn this angry email draft to my service provider into a constructive message more likely to generate a helpful response. Adjust the apps appearance settings, including font size and shortcuts. Close other processor-intensive apps on your computer, like video editing tools, to reduce the likelihood of your computer slowing down. 5 reasons to use private AI Save money: Avoid subscription fees by running AI models on your own computer. Generate unlimited responses without monthly charges. Keep your data private: Using private AI on your computer ensures no data is sent to or stored on big tech firms servers. No conversations leave your device. You can even run these tools offline. For sensitive legal, medical, financial or personal issues, ask questions without worrying about your data ending up in a large language models training data. Work offline: Having full offline access is handy whether youre traveling without Wi-Fi, working in a remote area, or hesitant to trust a random public network. Experiment with hundreds of open-source models: Choose an open-source large language model that suits you. Each is trained differently. Some are stronger at certain languages, others specialize in coding. New ones emerge regularly. Switch as often as youd like. By contrast, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini limit you to the platforms own models. Tip: Use LM Arena to compare two models responses side by side. Reduce your environmental impact: If you run hundreds of daily prompts, a local AI app may mean less use of internet infrastructure and remote data servers. Private AI tools allow you to keep your data on your laptop, though they may not be as powerful as top AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. [Image: generated with ChatGPT] Jan is an excellent, free, private AI tool Platforms: Mac, PC, Linux What I like about it Fast and easy to set up and use: Jan takes a minute to download and install. Using Jan is as easy as using ChatGPT, Claude, or any other chatbot, though you do have to make an initial decision about which model to use. Assistants: Create customized AI helpers for various purposes. One for translating Chinese, another for coding. Task it to Act as a software engineering mentor focused on Python and JavaScript. Provide detailed explanations with code examples. Use markdown formatting for code blocks. Projects: Organize queries into distinct folders for easy access to subjects of interest without searching through hundreds of threads. Integrations: Link Jan to Canva, Todoist, Linear, or other tools using MCP (model context protocol) connections. Documentation and resources: Lots of useful documentation, including a handbook and blog. Whats Next: Jan AI is developing mobile versions for iOS and Android and adding integrations to link Jan to other services. A Jan case study Becki Lee, a senior technical writer, uses Jan to explore health questions she wants to keep private. I have a chronic illness Im struggling to get diagnosed, she emailed me. So I created an assistant to help interpret test results and brainstorm possible explanations for my symptoms. Obviously, its super important to take this with a grain of salt (a chatbot is absolutely no substitute for a doctor). However, this helps bubble up conditions I can research further on my own, and it also generates questions I can ask my actual doctor. More free AI optios for Mac, PC, or Linux Msty The free version of this well-designed app has multiple unique features. Unlike Jan, which is completely free, Msty also has paid advanced features. Its best free features include: A built-in prompt library with hundreds of options. Special focus and zen modes that strip away side menus. Create multiple personas, which are assistants with distinct personalities. Each can adopt a different style or approach in answering your queries. Knowledge Stacks let you import document collections for analysis. These can include PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoints, spreadsheets, lists of YouTube links, or even an Obsidian vault. Advanced features, like multistep automations, require a paid subscription. Ive only used the free version. Its easy to use, powerful, and well designed. I chose the Gemma 3. AnythingLLM Like Jan, this is a straightforward open-source AI app thats a good option for novice AI users. How its different from Jan You can upload files for AnythingLLM to summarize. Enable it to make simple charts. Turn on Web search, which requires a free API key from Google or Serpa. Theres also a new beta Android version. Caveat: Its not quite as nicely designed as Jan, and isnt updated as often. LM Studio This more developer-friendly option is less simple for beginners. Whats notable: Florent Daudens, an AI expert and educator who used to oversee daily editorial coverage at CBC/Radio-Canada, relies on LM Studio for private AI use. I asked him why and he said, Its practical, with a user/developer-friendly interface, quick updates when new models drop, a server option, and helpful model compatibility info. In a LinkedIn post, Florent shared an example of using LM Studio on his laptop. He used Googles Gemma 3 model to analyze plane photos for extracting registration numbers as an investigative journalist might, without sending data to external servers. Limitations of private AI tools Feature limits: Many special features on other AI platforms wont work on these private AI platforms. ChatGPTs new plug-ins for Canva or Figma, for instance, wont work with private AI. You may not be able to export results directly to Google Sheets or Slack, as you can with other AI tools. No interactives or advanced visuals: You cant create infographics and visual illustrations like ChatGPTs. No coding and hosting interactive applications, as you can with Claude or Gemini. No advanced searches with detailed citations like those from Perplexity. Quality variation: Some open-source models have limited or older training data, so results for certain queries may be worse. For ordinary queries and text summarization, this quality difference may not be noticeable. Slower speed: Depending on your query, you might wait longer with some open-source models than with ChatGPT, Copilot, or other private AI platforms. Speed hasnt been a big concern for me so far. Cant handle as much text at once: A smaller context window means that private AI tools may not be able to analyze text blocks as large as those ChatGPT or Claude can handle. Some small language models may resort to skimming longer text. They may also be more likely to hallucinate details if asked for summaries of long, complex documents. Additional resources Free, open-source AI tools for journalists curated on Hugging Face by Florent Daudens. Read more about why I like Hugging Face as an open-source AI hub. Local LLM Group on Reddit, with 546,000 members. Keep up on notable research on AI and private AI tool development. Helpful write-up about local large language models by Stephen Turner. LinkedIn Learning Course on private large language models and Jan AI. This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
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I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: Our built environment contributes to a mental health crisis. The built environment as we know itbuildings and the spaces betweendoes direct damage to our minds. Communities developed slowly for thousands of years, but in 20th century America, the end of World War II introduced a massive population and construction boom. Land use planning has had devastating impacts on Americanseconomically, socially, and culturally. But Im not a doomer and I know these things are fixable. Not overnight reversible, but certainly fixable. Spreading us out Typical land use rules are written, updated, and enforced at the local government level. Agencies copied each other over the yearsbecause why wouldnt they? Much of what Ive learned as an adult (podcasting, publishing, propaganda making, etc.) has been taught by generous people who themselves had learned tips and tricks. So, of course, public agencies copied each other. Hey, that worked for a similar river city. Lets try it here. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Planning departments at city and county levels werent setting out to guide development in a way that would purposefully harm us. Quite the opposite. If a new Sears distribution center was coming to town, theyd want to map out a plan to accommodate all the new employees and subsequent traffic. In the middle of the 20th century, planners were still very much concerned about separating dirty and/or dangerous land uses from residential areas. The result was that all across the country, local development rules required or incentivized development patterns that spread everyone and everything across the landscape: work zone, school zone, shopping zone, entertainment zone, and sleep zone. And then each major category started getting more prescriptive subcategories. Residential morphed into single-family, multifamily (apartments), and condos. But wait, theres more! Residential land uses started to be regulated by local governments according to lot size: garden apartments, planned unit developments, and subdivisions were each given rules. Residential use was also regulated by the type of people living in a place: public housing, group dwellings, age-restricted dwellings, renters, and owners. Promoting sprawl Local regulations created (and continue to create) sprawl in cities and the suburbs. Land use planning requires traffic engineering analysis, a process prioritizing car movement above all else. Wider roads and intersections are not just suggested but required, with the express goal to move car traffic from zone to zone as quickly as possible. When in doubt, they add more car lanes. This has been going on for nearly 100 yearswithout taking a foot off the brake. Cars and loneliness The obvious outcome of modern land use planning is that Americans drive everywhere all the time. Not just work commutes, but all the errands before, during, and after work. Half of our car trips are less than a few miles long. A quarter are less than a mile. Less than a mile in a car by ourselves. Driving is forced on Americans as the only reasonable way to get around. For most, it’s terrifying or deadly to walk or ride a bicycle, even for those errands that are less than a mile away. We’re in a car-first environment because of the organized zones developed by planners and approved by local leaders. Life in a single-occupant vehicle has its perks, like singing along to music or listening to podcasts uninterrupted. It also has its pains, like separation from other humans and mental deterioration. Loneliness is a significant variable affecting depression. Its a predisposing factor. Cigna conducted a study of 20,000 Americans and reported a jaw-dropping finding: Nearly half of adults sometimes or always feel alone. More than 40% said their relationships arent meaningful and they feel isolated. Actual and perceived social isolation are associated with early death. Your mind tells your body that its just not worth living. Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University. She says the health risks of missing out on social connection are like smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Worse yet, theres a causal relationship between social isolation and suicide. Conversely, having a crew (social support in doctor jargon) has a protective effect against suicide. For every suicidal death, another 20 people attempted suicide. What to do So what do youdo with all this heavy information? First, remember that the built environment is deliberately planned for us to drive in cars from zone to zone. Planners arent trying to destroy our minds, but the built environment increases anxiety, depression, isolation, loneliness, and suicide. Humans are not meant to be alone all the time. Even when youre hauling kids from school to soccer to the tutor to dinner to whatever else, youre isolated from social interactions. The kids are watching videos or scrolling through their phones. Second, understand the land use catastrophes are reversible. Compact development won’t be legalized overnight, but reform can come as quickly as local leaders are willing. Theres no need to wait on a national referendum or the president representing your favorite team. Walk-friendly, bike-friendly, and transit-friendly places are good medicine, and theyre made possible at the local level. Third, share your car-life stories with me. I’m producing a documentary about unhealthy infrastructure. Specifically, Im focused on ways our minds and bodies are crumbling because of how places and spaces are planned and built. If youre interested in sharing what its like to be dependent on a car, or what its like having to wait 45 minutes for a bus, Im all ears. Finally, know that things get better in the end. The mental health crisis is tragic, but we can turn this around with something as boring as reforming land use planning. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. 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