The future is here. Technology is changing the way we see urban design; blink, and you’ll miss it. That is, if you aren’t following SCI’s latest research based blog: Urbanism Next.
Urbanism Next is the blog you’ll want to read. It is part of a recent research initiative that investigates the effects of technological advances on cities, their transit systems, and their design. The blog’s focus areas include the development of autonomous vehicles, e-commerce and the sharing economy, and how we live and move through the city. It will also address how new technology will change spatial development of cities and how we value proximity. Urbanism Next will help answer one key question: What does the future look like, and how are we going to get there?
Urbanism Next | Behind the Blog
Urbanism Next has been keeping SCI researchers busy, and has an exciting year ahead. In September, SCI Co-Director Nico Larco presented at a Pro-Walk, Pro-Bike, Pro-Place “Livable Communities in a World with Driverless Vehicles” conference. Read more about the conference here.
Urbanism Next is a part of Portland Regional Smart Cities Group. Together, members are working on an action plan geared towards creating a more livable city. Come spring, Urbanism Next will be involved in a Future of Transportation Forum, presenting relevant findings.
Like many SCI programs, the research initiative also calls on student contribution. Currently, students are writing research reports (to be released December 2016) that address key livability topics:
- How will physical city design and distribution change with the development of autonomous vehicles and E-commerce?
- How will autonomous vehicles impact the vitality of cities?
- What opportunities can develop for increased commercial density and walkable areas as parking lots become useable sites?
- How do autonomous vehicles change how we approach transit, and how does our idea of proximity and density shift with those changes?