The digital turn in planning: Promises and pitfalls
with Ian Babelon
In this episode, we explore planning technologies and their impact on planning systems. Ian Babelon (Northumbria University, UK) discusses the promises and challenges of digital technology and data-driven decision-making in public participation. The focus of this conversation is Britain's planning systems. We examine the adoption of digital tools and present a conceptual model for smart engagement.
Episode based on the article
Phygitally Smarter? A Critically Pragmatic Agenda for Smarter Engagement in British Planning and Beyond
By James Charlton, Ian Babelon, Richard Watson, and Caitlin Hafferty
Podcast Version
Recommended Materials
- Beynon‐Davies, P. (2010). The enactment of significance: A unified conception of information, systems and technology. European Journal of Information Systems, 19(4), 389–408. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2010.34
- Wilson, A., & Tewdwr‐Jones, M. (2022). Covid‐19 and the rise of digital planning: Fast and slow adoption of a digital planning system. Town Planning Review, 93(5), 495–518. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2022.3
- Kitchin, R., Dawkins, O., & Young, G. (2019). Prospects for an intelligent planning system. Planning Theory & Practice, 20(4), 595–599. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2019.1651997
- Commonplace. (2021). Engaging for the future.
About the Speaker
Ian Babelon is a research fellow at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria University (Newcastle, UK). His research, consultancy, and blogging experience includes participatory planning, low-carbon housing retrofits, and digital transformation across the built environment. His doctoral dissertation investigated the use of digital participatory platforms in urban planning from an international perspective. He also works as a UX researcher.