The development process has a regional context, but specific proposals are typically buffeted by very local concerns, if not outright NIMBYism. That was the basic challenge faced down by George Thrush, dean of the School of Architecture at Northeastern University, who went on to develop the Urban Gauge, a flexible, web-based software tool designed to inform and engage multiple stakeholders in urban planning decision-making processes, in real time. The idea starts with transportation planning, and will be refined and field-tested with community groups and advocacy organizations. The ultimate goal is an integrated planning tool capable of cross- referencing planning inputs and outcomes for a range of stakeholder concerns: transportation with energy use, housing cost, job growth, urban form, and access to services. The hope is that the Urban Gauge, with a dashboard allowing users to score projects against local and regional criteria at the same time, can greatly increase the transparency of the public approvals process, dramatically reducing the time necessary to evaluate projects.
George Thrush, whose research, practice, writing, and teaching all revolve around contemporary urban issues in architecture, and the connections among transportation, urban design, and civic image in an increasingly privatized economic arena, will kick off the fall lecture series at the Lincoln Institute October 11, 2011. He is co-author of a comprehensive regional transportation and development proposal for the Boston metropolitan area called The New Urban Ring, and writes a blog for Boston Magazine. The lecture is free and open to the public but registration is required.