Media Technology and City Design and Development
MIT OpenCourseWare workshop on using media technology and the internet to support city design and community development in inner-city neighborhoods. Students learn methods for representing a place and its residents, simulating changes, presenting future visions, and engaging multiple stakeholders in planning processes. The course centers on two real neighborhoods, Mill Creek in West Philadelphia and Brightwood/Northend in Springfield, Massachusetts, where students meet residents and practitioners working on active projects and contribute research meant to feed real initiatives. Sponsored by the West Philadelphia Landscape Project and the Center for Reflective Community Practice, the class combines readings, site work, and reflective assignments that connect theory to practice. Materials include the syllabus, project briefs, and readings posted on MIT's OpenCourseWare site, free to access with no certificate offered.