Should Your General Plan Have A Technology Element?

The viability of a community is linked to its access and use of information and communications technologies. How are communities planning for technology?

1 minute read

July 6, 2004, 9:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Technology infrastructure will increasingly be an integral part of any successful community, whether that is 311 services in Chicago and New York, physical infrastructure such as fiber optic or wireless networks, or e-government. The only way you can determine what your community needs is to do a comprehensive inventory, needs assessment, and a plan, much the way you would for any urban facility. Planning efforts in many parts of the nation aim at harnessing technology to provide a strong economy and improved quality of life. A survey we conducted of more than 30 technology plans and projects shows that communities have not, for the most part, adopted coherent, wide-ranging strategies. Rather, various approaches to technology infrastructure, with disparate origins, have evolved over time.

Thanks to Chris Steins

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 in Planning Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

Rendering of autonomous cargo train moving across bridge across river in wooded area between Texas and Mexico.

Trump Approves Futuristic Automated Texas-Mexico Cargo Corridor

The project could remove tens of thousands of commercial trucks from roadways.

June 17 - FreightWaves

Rendering of white three-story single-stair building in Austin, Texas with staircase in the middle.

Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway

Eliminating the requirement for two staircases in multi-story residential buildings lets developers use smaller lots and more flexible designs to create denser housing.

June 17 - Building Design & Construction

MARTA bus with Atlanta skyline in background

Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access

MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.

June 17 - Mass Transit