How can we understand a city? It is both an information system and a community. Can social media tools be used to conduct better urban planning and to encourage social and civic engagement? The authors of this book on cutting-edge work by an international collection of researchers say yes. The chapters are drawn from two 2009 workshops on communities and technology: “Digital Cities 6,” at Penn State, and “From Social Butterfly to Urban Citizen,” at Queensland University of Technology. Civil leaders, urban researchers, and computing specialists will all find useful theory and practice presented.

The 24 chapters are grouped into five sections: “Theories of Engagement,” “Civic Engagement,” “Creative Engagement,” “Technologies of Engagement,” and “Design Engagement.” Each chapter includes its own reference list. The book’s comprehensive index will point readers to specific topics. No prior technical knowledge is required for any of the chapters.

Topics range from “families negotiating urban traffic” to “using the city as a backdrop for location-based interactive narratives.” One interesting example is chapter 19, “Crowdsensing in the Web: Analyzing the Citizen Experience in the Urban Space.” The ultimate goal is to create a virtual city that mirrors the physical city. This has broad implications for the design and governance of public spaces.

Certainly, the future of urban design and engagement will increasingly be entwined with technological advances. From food distribution to traffic management and more, this book is an excellent starting point in understanding the trends and possibilities of social media in an urban environment.