Urban planners need to go beyond environment and stakeholder input, taking a stronger role in the development of new technologies to design new urban futures rather than relying on software engineers.
Urban planning has long concerned itself with the nuances of multi-stakeholder input and assessments, physical form, and environmental context. But what of the technologies used? Rampant discussion on the value of big data analysis, social media, and emerging technologies such as drones and new LIDAR systems dominate the internet. Yet amid these discussions, how many planners have some degree of expertise in computer sciences or engineering to better inform the design of new technologies? In the present tense, the bulk of these technologies are designed by engineers with an interest in urbanism and not by urban professionals. Perhaps it is time to expand the urban planning foci beyond environment, economics, and physical planning but to also include technology creation. By embracing these new technologies as critical infrastructure and infusing them with the insight of urban professionals, new possible futures can emerge.
FULL STORY: Technology Determined Cities or Strategic Design for Tomorrow?
In Memoriam: William Mitchell
I learned with great sadness about the loss of William Mitchell, 65, this past friday after a long battle with cancer. Bill was the chair of my Ph.D. committee, a mentor and a friend.
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New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
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Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
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Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association