Defending Density: The Future of Urban Systems in New York

As the retail culling continues and the reconfiguration of office buildings gives way to more substantial retrofits, the commercial landscape of New York City’s neighborhoods is undergoing multiple, successive waves of change. How can new digital technologies make cities and urban systems productive again? What new sources of data on business, consumer, and workforce activity could be tapped to better inform both economic relief efforts and more resilient long-range planning? Urban Tech Hub Director Michael Samuelian led a conversation with local real estate, proptech, and economic development organizations on the future of enhanced urban systems and the future of New York City’s neighborhoods.

Key takeaways from the discussion:

• Working and commuting patterns are going to change, but we don’t yet know how.
• There’s an opportunity for bold urban tech innovation, but we haven’t yet fully seized it—the institutional desire isn’t entirely there yet.
• Public schools will be the key to addressing inequality during the city’s recovery, yet face some of the biggest technological hurdles of any vital urban system.