Watch videos from 2023 UIC Urban Forum on data & cities
Last month, the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA) hosted its annual Urban Forum, an event gathering scholars, public intellectuals, policymakers and elected officials to discuss the future of cities and communities.
This year’s theme, “Can Data Deliver? Harnessing Data-driven Solutions for Urban Challenges” dug into the realities of how the oft-hyped technologies of big data and artificial intelligence can help inform urban planning and decision-making. The event’s panels and talks, headlined by a keynote from data scientist Derek Eder of Datamade, are now available for public view.
In the first panel, UIC assistant professor Federica Fusi discussed her research on how governments collect, use and share data, and how community members and organizations can advocate for data-driven solutions to their priority concerns.
“Sometimes we think of data as a very technical matter, but to me there is a lot of social context that goes along with data use and sharing,” Fusi said.
A second panel, which included Cook County Chief Data Officer Rosaella Branson and leaders from non-profit organizations Kids First Chicago and the Hispanic Information Technology Executive Council, focused on how equity, privacy and security can be preserved as cities increasingly collect and utilize data.
“You need to demonstrate to people that we are going to be very good caretakers of your information…and also be very clear with people about what you’re doing with their data and why you’re collecting it,” Branson said. “There needs to be a level of respect with it.”
Learn more about this year’s Urban Forum and its past installments at urbanforum.uic.edu.