NCJ Number
15017
Date Published
1971
Length
80 pages
Annotation
AN OVERVIEW OF SOME TECHNOLOGICAL SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN IMPROVING URBAN SERVICES, BASED ON IDEAS PRESENTED AT A SYMPOSIUM ON TECHNOLOGY AND THE CITY.
Abstract
THE SYMPOSIUM FOCUSED ON THE PROBLEM OF APPLYING CURRENT HARDWARE AND TECHNOLOGY TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF URBAN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL, AND REPRESENTATIVES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES, INDUSTRIES, THE TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY, AND FOUNDATIONS WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER AT THIS SYMPOSIUM. AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEMS IN BRINGING TECHNOLOGY TO THE CITIES IS FIRST PROVIDED. A CASE STUDY OF ONE CITY'S EFFORTS AND SUCCESS IN PIONEERING A NEW, AUTOMATED METHOD OF GARBAGE DISPOSAL IS PRESENTED. SIMILAR EFFORTS IN NEW YORK CITY TO PROVIDE A MORE EFFICIENT FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM ARE ALSO DETAILED. TECHNOLOGICAL FAILURES, SUCH AS THE ATTEMPTS AT COMPUTERIZED TRAFFIC CONTROL ARE DESCRIBED AS WELL. OBSTACLES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY FOR URBAN SERVICES ARE DISCUSSED, AND A STRATEGY FOR THE 1970'S WITH TENTATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS IS OUTLINED. THE SYMPOSIUM AGENDA AND PARTICIPANTS, AND PROGRAMS DEVOTED TO APPLIED URBAN TECHNOLOGY ARE LISTED IN THE POSTSCRIPTS.