Technocrats Role in the Transformation of Urban Landscape

Society grows more complex and inclusive each day. These evolving circumstances
outmode the traditional methodology that once dictated our course of action. In response to an
ever-growing population, we construct enormous infrastructures such as dams to help control
flooding, interconnected road networks to carry goods and people over long distances, and
skyscrapers to house the increasing population. In addition, we have also pushed for the rapid
production of material goods to meet the constant increases in global market demand. In our
singular focus towards societal improvement, humanity had become the most impactful force in
the global ecosystem ushering in an era known as the Anthropocene. This era is associated with
but not limited to, global loss of biodiversity, unsustainable human-nature complexity, a growing
population, rapid urbanization, an increase in demand and the subsequent shortage of natural
resources, and rapid climate change. To address these global issues, modern studies have shifted
focus from individual behaviors and consequences towards citywide complexities and its
impacts.
The environmental and earth system science courses back in high school inspired my
pursuit in a career that could help direct society towards creating a more positive impact on our
planet. However, it wasnt until the beginning of college that I found interest in the way city
functions and its ecological implications and wanted to follow a path focused on creating
sustainable cities for future generations. I believe that engineering, science and technology are
the keys to solving the problems of climate change, but as city planners and visionaries, it is our
role to tie these factors together, create a comprehensive network among the experts of these
fields in order to create solution that foster the relationship between society and the environment.
Technological innovation and engineering solutions aimed at solving basic water, energy,
health, preserving natural resources, and biodiversity issues will help planners envision routes to
shape cities towards adopting a more environmentally conscious agenda. Traditional problem
solvers such as engineers and laboratory scientists are often not enough to tackle these problems.
Planners are trained to have the comprehensive understanding of city and state regulations, the
innovative minds of artists, the political working knowledge of politicians, and the foresight of
visionaries and entrepreneurs that could prove to be beneficial in assisting other experts. The

Climate Action Training Program offers some nontraditional pathways for city planners that
allows for the exploration of the works in these different fields.
I initially set out to pursue my Masters in Urban and Regional Planning with the mindset
of becoming a planner for a city or a public works municipal department. This route would have
been fairly conventional one and lacks a reformative push. However, this training program has
brought an opportunity to pair technological innovation with more reformative planning ideals.
The up and coming city of Songdo, South Korea is one such example where technological
innovation coincides with city planning. This is one of the most ambitious smart cities in the
world. The city utilizes technology to optimize energy efficiency usage by allowing home
electrical appliances to be managed from a phone, contains underground garage disposals to
eliminate the need for garbage trucks, and propagates the usage of Skype technology to
encourage young students towards engagement with foreign classrooms via global
communication. Technology connects all the planning components within the city, from
residences, offices, schools, and other institutions. With the help of planners, Songdo has been
engineered to look far into the distant future in order to meet the demands of a growing
population.
If given the opportunity intern at Google or Microsoft, I would wish to further the
applicability of technology in cities around the nation. Equipped with knowledge obtained
through the training program, I would serve to advise companies and even cities in planning for
the future. I would recommend to them the practical applications of utilizing the appropriate
environmentally friendly technology to solve urgent societal and ecological dilemmas. In
addition, I wish to work with innovators to push for technology that would foster connectivity
and efficiency within the network of a city. With the knowledge of city regulations, I would be
able to assist technological developers and cooperate with them to create innovative and
encompassing comprises to current problems between societys demands and the accelerated rate
of environmental degradation. Management, innovation and efficiency are just a few methods for
slowing down climate change. Utilization of these methods requires a multi-level cooperative
effort between citizens, government, and private industries. Technology plays a vital role in
helping society shape and rectify some of these changes and planners help put these changes into
motion. Planning, as such, functions as the crux between idealized and realized goals.