Part of the challenge of implementing good urban planning and architecture in cities is understanding what people want, and CitySwipe is an app poised to make it easier for urban planners to put their finger to the pulse of the populace. Using the same interface that shot Tinder to fame, CitySwipe replaces pictures and descriptions of potential partners with questions and images that relate to city planning.
CitySwipe is a product from the city of Santa Monica, California. The app opens by asking for a user's zip code (no other identifying information is required) then proceeds to ask a series of questions. For the most part, those questions have yes or no answers, and the answers are always binary. Users can swipe either right or left in response to these questions, and Santa Monica will use the data it collects for urban planning.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Gamification of Urban Planning
- The use of gamified interfaces like CitySwipe in urban planning apps presents an opportunity for engaging and gathering data from the public.
- Data-driven Urban Planning
- Collecting and analyzing data from apps like CitySwipe enables urban planners to make informed decisions based on the preferences and priorities of residents.
- Crowdsourced Urban Planning
- CitySwipe allows city governments to harness the collective wisdom of the public, leading to a more inclusive and community-driven urban planning process.
Where This Applies
- Urban Planning
- Urban planning industry can leverage apps like CitySwipe to access real-time data and insights from citizens, enabling more accurate and citizen-centric planning.
- App Development
- Developing innovative urban planning apps, similar to CitySwipe, offers an opportunity to tap into the growing market demand for user-friendly and data-driven city planning tools.
- Data Analytics
- The data collected from urban planning apps like CitySwipe provides a valuable resource for data analytics companies to analyze, interpret, and derive actionable insights for urban planners.
