As technology rapidly transforms our cities, SCI’s Urbanism Next is leading the nation to stay ahead of changes. To support and expand on the research on the secondary impacts of emerging technologies, University of Oregon President Michael Schill announced a generous $1 million investment this spring to create the Urbanism Next Center. The announcement came at the first ever National Urbanism Next Conference, a gathering of 500 people from across the nation and around the world.
"This support from President Schill will be critical in building capacity at Urbanism Next and allows us to continue our growth and impact in Oregon, around the country, and around the world. We are tremendously thankful to the UO for their commitment to this work," said Urbanism Next Center Director, Professor Nico Larco.
Advances in technology such as the advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs), the rise of E-commerce, and the proliferation of the sharing economy are having profound effects not only on how we live, move, and spend our time in cities, but also increasingly on urban form and development itself. The University of Oregon’s Urbanism Next Center focuses on the ramifications of these changes. Researchers are working with leaders from the public, private, and academic sectors across North America and Europe to better understand the secondary impacts of emerging technologies on cities and ensure that governments from the local to federal level have the information they need to make informed decisions that improve equity and health outcomes, as well as help achieve community goals related to the economy and the environment.
“Big changes are coming and there are not a lot of solutions yet. It is going to take a lot of risk-taking and bold thinking for cities to stay ahead of the curve and have technology work for them as opposed to being shaped by technology. For that reason, community values need to be at the forefront of the discussion about emerging technologies—we should be asking ourselves what kinds of cities we want to live in and then make sure that technology helps achieve those goals. One of the objectives of the Urbanism Next Center is to provide the data needed for cities to make informed decisions, as well as to help cities envision and realize a future where technological advancements are harnessed to create healthier and more equitable places,” says Becky Steckler, Urbanism Next Program Manager.
Right now, the Urbanism Next team is hard at work on projects that will help Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C. set policies for autonomous vehicles in collaboration with the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance/Urban Sustainable Directors Network and the Bullitt Foundation. An additional project funded by the National Science Foundation focuses on finding where gaps exist in research about emerging technologies and how impacts are measured. The current projects include development of policy briefs, white papers, and Urbanism Next-led workshops that connect public, private, and academic stakeholders. The University of Oregon investment gives Urbanism Next the opportunity to expand on these efforts and grow to take on more projects while building a body of research that supports sustainable, equitable decision-making in cities.