Technology, Civic Engagement and Street Science: Hacking the Future of Participatory Street Design in the Era of Self-Driving Cars

Abstract

Emerging technologies are fundamentally changing how we plan, develop, and manage our cities. Given trends of increasing mobile use, local governments and public officials (and particularly city planners) are being required to adopt and use new technologies to plan, communicate and engage with citizens. In this context, this study then hypothesizes how technology trends will continue to impact planning and local government. For example, most local planning departments now have a website but a minority are mobile friendly. Building on this foundation the study then evaluates methods of civic engagement using the case study of the participatory planning application ReStreet.com, a tool for visioning the future of streets in a future of autonomous or self-driving vehicles. While other work has detailed the importance of technology in the participatory process, this tool provides an example of how methods of digital representation and new technology can enrich community participation and democratize the planning process-helping to reshape cities methods to gather data enriching the planning process.