MPC's 2013 Annual Luncheon focuses on the future of cities and technology.
The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is excited to host Margo Geogiadis, President, Americas, Google, for our 2013 Annual Luncheon, taking place Nov. 1. It’s fair to say that Google, and related technology firms, have changed the course of planning dramatically in the last decade. Can you remember making layered maps in grad school using overlays on an overhead projector? I can. Today, students simply turn to Google Maps, which has become the industry standard. But technology has allowed so much more. At MPC we’ve been exploring how technology can engage a broader planning audience, better evaluate planning decisions and outcomes, and maximize the use of existing infrastructure toward the greatest efficiency.
Through MPC’s Placemaking work, Program Director Marisa Novara conducted an “apps contest” to challenge community residents on how to better utilize public space in their neighborhoods. The contest yielded many creative ideas, including “Got Game?” which linked young adults with group recreational opportunities at the Chicago Park District’s many leagues, or ”Mom, we’re bored!” which gave parents quick access to a range of fun activities to keep junior occupied between naps. Ultimately, MPC chose to honor Mi Parque, an app designed to engage Chicago’s Little Village residents in the planning and design of a new park in their neighborhood. Effectively, the app allowed far more people to weigh in on the planning than could attend the standard public meeting. Online tools like this are becoming the norm and expanding the reach of planners exponentially.
The Chicago region’s extensive network of sewer pipes is difficult to maintain but even more difficult to monitor. MPC Program Director Josh Ellis is working with several water and sewer departments to explore ways to target green and gray stormwater infrastructure in areas that have the greatest need—and would therefore receive the greatest benefit—and then to monitor that investment. Basement backups and flooding result from too much water running off concrete and into combined sewer systems; by implementing a series of targeted green infrastructure improvements—impervious parking lots, rain cisterns, green roofs—much of this water can be diverted from the sewers and alleviate the flooding problem. Only through proper technology and monitoring can we identify the trouble spots and solutions.
San Francisco has paved the way for using technology to maximize the demand for on-street parking. Communities across the States are exploring how to price parking appropriately and maximize utilization while simultaneously creating a revenue stream to be used to enhance other forms of access. SFpark uses embedded sensors to adjust meter and parking garage rates to match demand and uses real-time information to direct drivers to open spaces via a mobile app and website so they can quickly find spots. In the Bucktown community on Chicago’s northwest side, MPC Director Chrissy Mancini is calculating the potential for variable priced parking to make the case next year for a city-wide program. Any additional revenue generated (after accounting for operations and maintenance) could be directed toward expanding access to neighborhood retail corridors in the form of additional bus service, bike share stations or better pedestrian amenities. Technology makes maximum utilization of the street network possible.
Technology is accelerating great change in cities and for governments. Georgiadis will share how Google is playing a lead role in accelerating the transformation. Here at MPC we are already seeing the benefits and look forward to working with Google and others as we advance our technology agenda for greater democratization of the planning process, better monitoring and evaluation and making the most of the sunk infrastructure costs of the region. Please join us on November 1 and be part of the conversation.