USC professor uses big data for urban planning
Geoff Boeing, a professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy, is using big data to analyze and design more walkable, climate-resilient communities. His research applies computational methods to urban planning challenges, offering new tools for understanding city form and function. This approach is influential in shaping data-driven strategies for sustainable urbanism.
- A key tool developed by Professor Boeing is OSMnx, a Python package that allows planners and researchers to download, analyze, and visualize urban networks from OpenStreetMap data. This open-source software is used in his research to model walking, driving, and biking networks with a single line of code. - One of Boeing's studies used OSMnx to analyze four million simulated routes in 40 U.S. cities, finding that walking networks are typically more direct than driving networks. This type of network analysis helps quantify the efficiency of different modes of transportation in urban design. - His research on a "pollution paradox" in Los Angeles, published in 2023, revealed that residents who drive less are often exposed to more air pollution due to commuters from other areas. This highlights how data analysis can uncover environmental justice issues in urban planning. - The computational approach used by Boeing aligns with the technical skills sought by top architecture firms like Gensler and HOK, which are increasingly focused on sustainable and net-zero design. Internship listings at these firms often require proficiency in Revit and Rhino, alongside familiarity with sustainability analysis tools like Ladybug Tools and various Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software. - Boeing's work is part of a larger trend in using big data for "smart city" initiatives, similar to projects in Barcelona, which uses IoT sensors to optimize traffic flow and waste management, and Copenhagen, which uses real-time data to improve public transport and achieve carbon neutrality goals. - As the director of USC's Urban Data Lab, Boeing's research is situated within a dedicated academic center that integrates computer science and data analytics with urban planning and design challenges. He holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
