Digitalization and Implications for Planning
By Alexsandra Gomez, Joseph DeAngelis, AICP
The rapid advancement of digital technology is driving enormous change in how people live, how they socialize, where they work or go to school, how they access healthcare, what they buy, and how they shop. As these technologies grow in ubiquity and sophistication, they play an increasingly central role in mediating people's lives and their interactions with the world. As once-analog processes continue to be supplemented, converted, or superseded by digital innovations, a process called digitalization, the resulting feedback can drive broader and larger-scale reorganization in society.
This report identifies how this ongoing process of digitalization is driving change in the world and what this change means for planners and their communities. First, it introduces planners to the broad trends in digitalization, how they have evolved, and what the data suggests about their future trajectories. Next, this report explores the implications of digitalization for planning and planners in the context of changes in housing demand, transportation, broadband and data infrastructure, economic development, and healthcare and education facilities.
This report is not intended to predict the future. Nor is this a report an analysis of how planning tools and technologies will change as a result of digitalization. Rather, it is intended as an exploration of the development of digitalization in the world today and its potential implications in our communities and the built environment.
This report was developed in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Details
About the Authors
Alexsandra Gomez
Alexsandra Gomez is a policy analyst at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Her work is primarily in the Safe and Complete Streets program. She formerly worked as a research associate at the American Planning Association, where she supported sponsored and strategic research projects and write for APA publications. She has a background in cultural geography and anthropology and applies these disciplines to planning research and practice. Her research interests include urban political ecology, geographies of power, and equitable community-led development.
Joseph DeAngelis, AICP
Joseph DeAngelis, AICP, is a planner and research manager at the American Planning Association, where he focuses on climate adaptation, natural hazard risk, and how they interact with emerging trends. He holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from CUNY-Hunter College.
Table of Contents
Digitalization of Everything
Working from Anywhere
E-Commerce
Food Services
Social Life, Entertainment, and Leisure
Education
Healthcare
Implications for Planning
Housing Demand and Associated Land-Use Changes
Transportation
Broadband and Data Infrastructure
Economic Development
Education and Healthcare Facilities
Conclusion