More than Analytics: Five Approaches to Educating Professionals to Shape Today’s Digital Cities

Abstract

In the last two decades, a variety of digital technologies have proliferated in cities. Urban planning educators must respond to this given local resources, constraints, and options. This commentary reviews curricular innovations being undertaken by planning faculty at five diverse institutions to advance pedagogy beyond analytics. Our contribution is to identify three general approaches to expand teaching on digital technologies: (1) undertake reforms within accredited planning programs, (2) develop new educational offerings, and (3) teach through engaged learning programs. We urge broader curricular innovation in the planning field to ensure the field’s relevance and impact in an increasingly technical future.