Los Angeles County Planner Clement Lau describes how Instagram, the increasingly popular photo-sharing social media app., has become a valuable addition to his quiver of planning tools.
Dr. Clement Lau, a Los Angeles County Planner who has previously written about the use of smart phone apps to assist planners, writes about another app he has recently added to his planning tool quiver: Instagram.
"As just about everyone knows, Instagram is a free photo-sharing program and social network. Launched in October 2010, the service enables an individual to take a photo, apply a digital filter to it, and then share it with other users."
"You may be wondering, what is the connection between Instagram and city planning?" asks Lau. The application can "[capture] our imaginations with a vast array of images, helping us to visualize what is possible, and then doing what is necessary to bring forth positive changes to our communities."
"Photos are particularly effective as part of an image preference survey designed to elicit feedback on the kinds of development people hope to encourage or discourage," he notes. "Planning officials find survey results helpful in developing design standards that reflect community preferences. One may even think of Instagram as one big image preference survey given that it contains a large repository of photos, and allows users to like and comment on photos."
"Images are critical to city planning. We cannot plan and implement creative ideas to improve our communities without first seeing what has been done and considering what can be done."
FULL STORY: Images, Instagram, and City Planning
‘Instagrammed to Death’ or a Return to Pre-Pandemic Normal?
Familiar controversies might seem reassuring in 2022.
Friday Eye Candy: The Theatricality of the Subway
A new book of photography amplifies what was already there.
Keeping Bees Away from Honey? Corruption Cases Expose Flaws in L.A. City’s Land Entitlement Process
Three former Los Angeles public officials share their collective perspective on how best to reform the city of Los Angeles' corrupted land use approval process.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research