Conference Explores Technology's Impact on Cities, Communication

June 12, 2009

Cell phones, iPods, Blackberries, text messaging and other mobile technologies proliferate in our streets, neighborhood and schools. New mobile and online technologies appear at an exponential rate.

What do these technologies and changes mean for our sense of place, face-to-face communication and community?

“Communicative Cities: Integrating Technology and Place,” a two-day conference June 25-26 at The Ohio State University organized by Knowlton School of Architecture faculty, tackles this vital issue and others:

How do technologies affect fields such as design, planning, public policy, law and journalism at all scales from a street-corner to the world? How can communities facilitate communication among and with citizens? What are the implications of global connectivity and data accessibility?

The conference, sponsored by the Battelle Endowment for Technological Affairs and co-chaired by Knowlton City and Regional Planning Section’s Jack Nasar, professor, and Kate Terzano, graduate research associate, brings together distinguished speakers from Columbus and around the world. With backgrounds that range from journalism to telecommunications to city planning and community organizing, the speakers bring hands-on experience to the integration of technology and place.

Planners, designers, city officials, policy makers, communications professionals, social scientists, techies and citizens should gain valuable insights from this conference.

WHAT: The Communicative Cities: Integrating Technology and Place Conference
WHEN: Thursday, June 25 – Friday, June 26, 2009
WHERE: Knowlton Hall, 275 West Woodruff Ave., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
DETAILS: Preliminary conference program
Conference home page (with recommended hotels)
Registration
Organizers expect the event to qualify for American Institute of Certified Planners Certification Maintenance continuing education credits and plan to have the conference available in streaming format after and possibly during the conference for people to participate at a distance.

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Editors: For more information, contact Jack Nasar, nasar.1@osu.edu, or Kate Terzano, terzano.1@osu.edu.