The Economic Times, one of the leading newspapers in India, recently published an article that highlighted the work of Aretian Urban Analytics and Design as a good example of data-driven urban planning practice. The article focuses on the use of technology, and more specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI), in the post-Coronavirus World. The authors, Stanford's Amit Kapoor, Mark Esposito, Terence Tse and Joshua Entsminger describe several industries in which AI may help the world recover from COVID-19 such as the fields of Agriculture, Healthcare, Education and Urbanism. When depicting the potential impact of AI on Urbanism, the authors quote Aretian and explain that “the coronavirus is likewise reshaping how we understand the risks and virtues of density - while agglomeration drives growth and innovation, it increases the probability of contagion spreading”.
Read more about it here: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/can-you-imagine-ais-promise-after-the-coronavirus/articleshow/75446853.cms
The authors also depict that the next generation of cities will need to embrace more progressive analytics for spatial awareness of risk, as well as improved coordination and information distribution in emergency situations like the one we currently experience. Aretian’s work is to innovate in this area by helping cities understand how to capture and utilize information within their city to better the local economy, community and city design. Aretian believes that the planning efforts within a city can determine the livelihoods of its inhabitants, through access to resources, amenities and jobs. This article pinpoints the importance of proper city design: urban planning cannot be left to chance or intuition, it must be based on insights and expertise.
