801B - Bringing TikTok to City Hall: Can Social Media Play a Role in Urban Planning?

October 20, 2021

1:30PM - 1:45PM

As urban planners and urban designers, we strive to create an inclusive city for all; one that is reflective of its residents’ wants and needs. The success of any urban initiative heavily depends on prior knowledge of the area and its inhabitants. In particular, planners should always aim to understand how citizens, including those who are under-represented, are currently using city resources and how they would like to use them.
 
In recent years, the widespread use of social media has generated new and large unconventional datasets and provided new platforms for urban planning, including both how people inhabit, think about, and engage with their city. This 15-minute lightning talk explores the extent to which social media can be used and reconsidered by urban planners and policymakers. On the one hand, social media data can be used for urban analysis and modelling, including understanding individual activity patterns, urban land use, and transportation behaviour. On the other hand, social media also provides new platforms and tools for citizens to participate, communicate, collaborate, and share perspectives with one another about their urban environment and experience. In particular, it provides new opportunities for cities to hear the voices of distinctive social groups, many of whom may not participate in formal planning processes.
 
As a part of this session, presenters will review some of the most predominantly used and followed social media platforms and accounts in Ontario (including those on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok). This is a must-attend session for anyone curious to know more about how social media shapes our cities!
 

Speakers