For Vice Chair

George L. (Larry) Mason

I would like to throw my hat in the ring for Vice Chair of the Technology Division.

Below is my position statement and a short statement of my qualifications.

There seems to be little disagreement that Information Communication Technology (ICT) has had and continues to have an impact on urban and suburban form. Understanding how ICT affects settlement patterns, positively, negatively and in some case surprisingly is critical for planners.

By anticipating how ICT may impact development, a given community will then be in a position to develop policy which will enhance or mitigate desired and undesired trends. While ICT is so embedded in our daily lives it is hard to measure its effects, I believe that planners should try to develop tools to analyze the impact on urban, suburban and exurban form.

What is needed is methodologies for how to evaluate current community technology assets; how to analyze and measure the types and quality of service locally; how to communicate trends, visions, possibilities to citizens governing bodies. These techniques should all be part of the the comprehensive planning process.

To that end, the Technology Division of the APA should undertake the task of developing APA PASs to outline methodologies, best practices, and current ideas on how urban and town planners can and are including technology assessments in comprehensive plans.

In addition the Technology Division needs to provide reports on current trends that may have great impact on settlement patterns. Such reports might include:

• Economic de-concentration caused by more and better tools for remote working and telecommuting. What is the real impact on traffic and roads?
• Will the robotics involved in self driving vehicles by good for the elderly in older suburban subdivisions or bad for jobs in the local economy?
• Remote retail shopping and it's impact on local shopping; will 3D printing help or hurt local business?
• Urban and Suburban areas becoming social centers rather than employment centric. Will this cause more or less social diversification?

Statement of Qualifications

I'm new to the APA leadership process, even though my MUP degree is dated 1985. Most of my professional life has been devoted to designing and building software systems and applications, usually involving geospatial and information technology. I am eager to learn.

George L. Mason (Larry)