The new wave in social media communication is quickly creating a method for discussing topics relating to urban planning, architecture, and community development. The social media site Twitter is leading the charge in this evolution by creating a way for people from around the world to gather in one centralized location to discuss and solve various community problems.

Consequently, Twitter has become a vital tool for urban planners to use in their ever changing environments.

To take advantage of twitter, persons simply need to set up a free account, learn how to use twitter, and start following people like friends, relatives, and colleagues. Once you’ve done these things, all that remains is to find a chat, follow the chat rules, learn how to use the chat tools, and participate in the chat.

Here are some popular urban planning twitter #chats to help you get started.

1. #builtheritage (1^st Wednesday each month)

Host: National Trust for Historic Preservation

Topic: Historic preservation in planning

2. #UrbanChat (Wednesday 2pm EST, 7pm BST, 8pm CEST)

Host: Urban Times

Topics: Discussions about city comfort – design, safety, sustainability

3. #cmgrchat (2pm EST Wednesday)

Host: Community Managers

Topics: Community building, urban design and case studies

4. #citychat

Host: MIT Community Innovators Lab

Topics: City and regional urban planning issues

5. #citytalk

Host: Joe Peach, Co-Founder of “This Big City”

Topics: Discussions relating to issues and trends affecting cities around the world

6. #AECSM

Hosts: Professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction

Topics: Urban planning and design

7. #landscapechat (2pm EST Wednesday)

Host: Valley Crest Landscape Companies

Topics: Urban design, architecture, and landscape design

8. #ABlogChat  (2nd Thursday of each month 8pm EST)

Hosts: An online community of architects and planners

Topics: Discussions relating to life and the practice

9. #EcoWed (Wednesdays, 7-8pm PST)

Hosts: Various green building companies and organizations

Topics: Discussions about living more sustainable and non-toxic lives

10. #housingchat

Host: A coalition of national housing, welfare, and community organizations

Topics: Issues relating to affordable housing in Australia

Which twitter chats do you think you will follow?

Credits: Image and data linked to sources.

Jamaal Davis

Jamaal Davis has lived in Richmond, Virginia for over 37 years, where he was born and raised. He studied Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University. His interests in urban planning began in the low-income neighborhoods of Southside Richmond, Virginia. As a result of those years, he has made it his goal to affect change in his community by changing its surroundings. His passion for planning lies in his desire to understand and change the housing conditions in low-income neighborhoods. He is currently working for a private consulting firm, but he plans on obtaining a planning position within a local government. His ultimate goal is to work for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 2:53 pm and is filed under Architecture, Branding, History/Preservation, Internet Marketing, Jamaal Davis, Land Use, Social/Demographics, Urban Development/Real Estate, Urban Planning and Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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