Where does technology fit in the geospatial design and planning professions?

Abstract

The societal transformations facilitated in part by geospatial design technological advances have brought new challenges to territorial planning. This paper analyzes the evolution of geospatial design and planning education in the United States by emphasizing the criticality of sustainable transportation planning in facilitating the partial resolution of some of the land use - transportation problems commonly found in environmental justice communities. The paper is in six parts. Part one is a review of geospatial design and planning education in the United States. Part two progresses from education to desired planning skills and a smart cities' framework. Part three is an overview of the dilemmas found in environmental justice communities. Part four explains why technology based on vehicles alone will not create more sustainable transportation. Part five is the case study of an environmental justice community in Albany, New York. Finally, part six makes some concluding remarks.