Sociotechnical urbanism: new systems ergonomics perspectives on land use planning and urban design

Land use planning and urban design is in need of disruption. Theory and practice have been caught in a cyclical process of reflection and review, without significant change, for more than half a century. This required disruption is not technological, but methodological, and will provide an opportunity for the optimisation of urban development and city form. Land use planning and urban design have not had the tools to manage the complexity and often competing priorities that are presented in urban development. Here it is argued that ergonomics science and sociotechnical systems understandings of urbanism provide new, and necessary, ways forward for the design and development of our cities and towns. Sociotechnical urbanism will allow for multidisciplinary perspectives and empirical evaluation of the complex interactions between humans, technology and artefacts within modern urban environments.