Blogs
“The fundamental driver of innovation lies in our ability to ask the right questions for the public good. By framing inquiries that challenge the status quo and encourage creative problem-solving, we unlock the potential to leverage innovation for the betterment of people, the environment, and society at large. Embracing the moral responsibility of fostering Truth, Beauty, and Goodness will propel the planning profession forward, repositioning it as a recognised part of the solution in the eyes of the public.”
“Before any Digital Transformation or Digital Twin Transformation, it is very important to review and change the structures, procedures, roles and processes on underlying ‘Silo’ conditions. The data, roles, functions, IT systems, delivery, physical designs, plans, support services, supply-chain etc. usually have legacy ‘silo’ conditions. The profession needs to adopt ‘Future-Proof’ industry standards, processes, and management practices.”
“The causes of health inequalities are multiple and complex. Planning, alone, cannot solve them. But, as Prof Michael Marmot’s seminal report, ‘Fair Society Healthy Lives’ made clear, if, as a society we are going to improve the health of the population, we need to concentrate our efforts on the people and places that are suffering the worst health. By making it easier for planners to know where those communities are, digital technology has an important role to play.”
“The future of planning is undoubtedly digital. It won’t come as a surprise to hear this coming from the Planning Portal …… It is perhaps more surprising however, that our view is that the digital future of planning doesn’t just rely on technology, but on the industry and government coming together to enable the transformation…….”
“A bit beyond a jubilee: in 1969 I published a paper in Urban Studies titled ‘Forecasting planning’. In some ways, it wasn’t much of a forecast – I took 1980 as my time horizon. However, it is interesting to read it again more than 50 years later. I argued at the time that what I forecast for 1980 was possible ‘now’.”
How Disruptive is the Smart Cities Movement?
“In the Spring of 2016, I attended a seminar on smart cities in a country house retreat that was organised by the UK Government’s Tech City Hub (http://www.techcityuk.com/) and a cloud computing company called Improbable (http://improbable.io/) who see their potential market being the developing of platforms for agent-based simulations of all kinds including city applications. ”
Forthcoming Blog Posts and Commentaries
We have invited a wide range of industry thought leaders to discuss the role of the planning profession in the digital era and we will post their contributions in this blog
Learning with the future
Coming soon…
Leadership in planning
Coming soon…
What can we learn from Scotland
Coming soon…