In a New York Times blog post today, design and architecture columnist Allison Arieff writes about the continued issue of empty space and inefficiency in our built world, pointing to GIS as an answer to solve these issues.
“G.I.S. allows us to literally view our place both globally and in a hyperlocal context. That level of specificity, both at the micro and macro level, is helping revolutionize the way we think about, plan for and design the space we inhabit (or abandon). A visual map can show us patterns of overbuilding, abandonment, mis- (or lack of) use; it can teach us something about our current tendency to overbuild.”
This article reinforces the gaining prominence of GIS within the design community as a means to understand the whole, and to pull together patterns and discrepancies in the larger urban fabric. There appears to be a groundswell of interest in better planning and design as our cities become more and more important to how we live. This article concludes that the coming age of data-driven design will usher in more dynamic and flexible planning.
