Anthony Townsend

Today, more people live in cities than in the countryside; mobile broadband connections outnumber fixed ones; and machines outnumber people on a new Internet of Things. In this era of mass urbanization and technological ubiquity, what happens when computers take over the city? In this talk, urban planning expert Anthony Townsend takes a broad look at the people and historical forces that have transformed the design of cities and information technologies. As a new generation of technology barons, entrepreneurs, mayors, and civic coders try to shape our future, Townsend explores their motivations, aspirations, and shortcomings, offering a new civics for building communities: together, one click at a time.