Berkeley Planning Journal

Planners have always been deeply interested in and concerned about the effects of technology on human settlements. There is a rich and var­ ied literature on technics and civilization, to borrow from Mumford's brilliant account ( 193 4). Whether looking at machines, autos, comput­ ers or the Internet, this literature provides a rich treasure-trove of social and historical analysis. This issue of the Berkeley Planningjournal makes a contribution to this topic by examining the effects of technology on planning and urban and regional development. The editors of the Berke­ley Planningjournal have selected four articles on this topic. Each pro­vides a distinctly different perspective on technology's impacts on plan­ ning and urban development.