URP 535

This course provides students an introduction to the technical, theoretical and practice-based dimensions of urban informatics, an interdisciplinary field of research and practice that uses data and information technology for the analysis, management, planning, inhabitation, and usability of cities. Situated at the intersection of digital technologies and the human environments, this course situates itself at the emergence of new disciplines— urban science, big data, smart cities, civic technologies among others. The course is centered around technical lectures interspersed with guest presentations and class debates grouped into five topical categories—data acquisition, numerical analysis, mapping and spatialization, visualization and interaction, and civic technologies­. Students will also have an opportunity to develop their project—based on their research question—that combines these technical aspects in a final analysis and demonstration. Within the seminar and lecture sessions, we will discuss the policy and design questions around the creation of, and use of urban data within the language of urbanism. Seminar and lecture sessions cover topics related to the context and practice models associated with urban technologies, including civic technology, indicators, smart cities, and performance management.