Digital Cities
About DC
In the NEET Digital Cities (DC) thread, you immerse yourself in the emerging intersections of computer science and urban planning to prepare you to plan and build the cities of the future. The DC thread emphasizes the development of fundamental skills in urban planning and policy including ethics, justice, and engagement; statistics, data science, and geospatial analysis and visualization; and computational thinking, simulation, and user experience.
Cities involve a complex interaction between humans, machines, and the urban environment. Throughout the program, DC scholars will practice contextualizing digital technology in urban planning and policy by learning how to identify communities in need, formulate problem statements, build computational tools, and develop urban policy and interventions with and on behalf of clients. DC scholars engage in three civic technology projects that will impact the MIT community, a partner client or city, or the public at large, build practical computational tools that strive to help everyone equitably, and work on creating technology that serves the public good.
DC Thread Requirements
Students must complete the following requirements to obtain a NEET Digital Cities Certificate from the MIT School of Engineering. You do not need to follow a strict sequence and will receive a certificate as long as you complete all subjects.
DC Example Projects
DC Classes
We have a series of project-based classes that DC scholars can take throughout the three-year program. Classes are accompanied by seminars and talks featuring guest speakers from industry, academia, and government who address a variety of issues under the thread theme.
11.007 | Urban and Environmental Technology Implementation Lab
Real-world clients and environmental problems form the basis of a project in which teams of students develop strategies for analysis and implementation of new sensor technology within cities. Working closely with a partner or client based on the MIT campus or in Cambridge, students assess the environmental problem, implement prototypes, and recommend promising solutions to the client for implementation. Equipment and working space provided.
11.154 | Big Data, Visualization, and Society + 6/11.C35 | Interactive Visualization & Society
Studies data visualization as a way for architects, planners and policy experts to communicate with the public. Develops technical skills to work with big data to answer or expose urban issues, which include cleaning and aggregating data in python, D3, and other web-based visualization software, and accessing APIs to download data. Students work with a big data set in a particular urban area and use the data to answer a policy question. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
11.138 | Crowdsourced City: Civic Tech Prototyping
Investigates the use of social media and digital technologies for planning and advocacy by working with actual planning and advocacy organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate prototype digital tools. Students use the development of their digital tools as a way to investigate new media technologies that can be used for planning.
11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Lab
E. Huntley & C. Cong
An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Explores how GIS can make maps, guide decisions, answer questions, and advocate for change. Class builds toward a project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Students build data discovery, cartography, and spatial analysis skills while learning to reflect on their positionality within the research design process. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Lab
E. Huntley & C. Cong
An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Explores how GIS can make maps, guide decisions, answer questions, and advocate for change. Class builds toward a project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Students build data discovery, cartography, and spatial analysis skills while learning to reflect on their positionality within the research design process. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
11.188 | Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Laboratory
An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Explores how GIS can make maps, guide decisions, answer questions, and advocate for change. Class builds toward a project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
11.S196/11.S187 | Applied Data Science for Cities
In an era of plentiful and intensifying data compilation, The narratives we construct about our environment can be bolstered with data sets, data visualization, and analysis. This course develops core data competencies in the context of student selected case studies to enable students to explore and visualize urban issues.
11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Lab
E. Huntley & C. Cong
An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Explores how GIS can make maps, guide decisions, answer questions, and advocate for change. Class builds toward a project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Students build data discovery, cartography, and spatial analysis skills while learning to reflect on their positionality within the research design process. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Lab
E. Huntley & C. Cong
An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Explores how GIS can make maps, guide decisions, answer questions, and advocate for change. Class builds toward a project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Students build data discovery, cartography, and spatial analysis skills while learning to reflect on their positionality within the research design process. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
DC Thread Leadership
Professor David Hsu
Founding Faculty Lead, Digital Cities, NEET
Associate Director, NEET
MIT School of Architecture + Planning
Dr. Cong Cong
Lecturer and Founding Lead Instructor, Digital Cities, NEET
MIT School of Architecture + Planning
Scholars Leadership Team
Esther Kinyanjui
DC Student Representative
Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceClass of 2025
FAQ
Who is eligible for the Digital Cities thread?
The Digital Cities thread is open to all majors. For some majors we may need to work out the Digital Cities roadmap on a case-by-case basis. Students planning on enrolling in the urban studies with computer science (11-6) degree program are especially welcome to join this thread; they may have to take few extra subjects, if any, to satisfy the requirements.
How many students are you planning to take?
New enrollments will be capped at 30 students/year.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, upon completing your SB degree you will also gain a NEET Certificate in Digital Cities from the MIT School of Engineering.
What benefits may I expect from being in Digital Cities?
The thread emphasizes interdisciplinary team-work, research output and individual mentoring. As such, you will benefit from exposure to a variety of interesting work being carried out by research labs from across all participating majors.
What projects will I be working on in the Digital Cities thread?
Each year you will take the 12-unit project-centered Digital Cities class (11.007/ 11.154/ 11.138). The DC thread emphasizes novel research output as a fundamental part of the projects. You will complete project classes in sophomore, junior, and senior years. Projects are 12-unit subjects each year (36 units total).
While the data and urbanism theme remains the same, the projects might vary depending on the cohort year, but generally:
11.007: You will create technology that has an impact on the MIT Community. This can be deploying environmental sensors in campus, or creating an app that makes your dormitory more connected.
11.154: Build advanced computational public interest technology as part of a complex real-world project that engages the public at large and involve multiple stakeholders, institutions, and communication mediums.
11.138: You will build a computational public interest technology that engages with faculty partners, clients, cities, or sponsored research in a project that focuses on environmental impact and sustainability.