Brent Toderian, recently the planning director for Vancouver, was interviewed by Denmark's Sustainable Cities about technology and planning. Toderian was contrarian when it came to technology's ability to save the world.
Toderian says that new technology can of course be useful, but it does "...not replace the need to do city planning or city building properly in the first place.": "I think there are many cities that are trying to retroactively apply technology to solve problems that were caused by the pattern of the city itself, and that won't work. The best technology for running transit will not work in a city that is low density, separated, and sprawled. I am a little worried that the technology discussions will distract us from the tough choices of fundamental city building that we need to make."
FULL STORY: New technology and EcoDensity
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