Responsive Cities: Citizen Engagement
22 October 2018

The way we design our cities is changing — for the better. In a panel discussion on Oct. 22 at the Center for Architecture in New York City, experts from varied disciplines offer a glimpse into responsive cities using data, citizen engagement and sensors to both measure what urban centers need and to find ways to improve them.

The panel — including Cooper Robertson’s Director of Urban Design Mike Aziz, the Museum of the City of New York, and experts from Future Cities Laboratory of Singapore and Zurich — will explain what responsive cities are and how they open up new possibilities for people, communities, and our city environments. The event is part of the monthlong festival Archtober, organized by AIA New York chapter.

“Responsive cities are the new frontier in urban design, a forward-thinking approach that engages residents and prospective citizens from the very beginning through the use of smart-city technologies and sophisticated modeling techniques,” says Aziz. “By analyzing more and better data to assess needs and determine what the future requires, city planners and urban designers can make better design decisions to benefit every community and neighborhood.”

Drawing on varied disciplines from urban design and policymaking to cognitive psychology and a newer field, complexity science, the October 22 international panel will share how responsive cities combine smart technologies, big data, citizen involvement and behavior models to inform better city solutions.

The program has been organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Technology Committee, and the Singapore-ETH Centre/Future Cities Laboratory.

Panelists: Mike Aziz, AIA, LEED AP, Director of Urban Design, Cooper Robertson; Kubi Ackerman, Director, Future City Lab, Museum of the City of New York; Fabien Clavier, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore; Panos Mavros, Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore; Rosamond Fletcher, Director of Programs, Design Trust for Public Space

Link to the video of the event.