A reprint of a 2013 book, this volume for popular readers is written by a data technologist. It looks at the use of data-gathering technology in urban planning. Along the way, the author provides stories of data applications that help urban-dwellers lead more fun and better lives, and figures in the history of urban planning that may be considered heroes or villains, depending on the reader's perspective. The author argues that increased data collection on the public in cities may be a good thing, because more information is always a good thing, and surveillance can help catch criminals. In a new epilogue, the author acknowledges that recent cases have shed light on both the more frightening aspects of surveillance and some exaggerated claims for the value of big data to citizens, and that it is impossible to answer the book's core question: what does new data technology mean for the future of cities? However, he finds hope in the rise of university centers for the study of cities and technology. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com) Read Less