Issue Applying life-history method to cities undergoing technological change

Summary

Psychobiography is a social science method that uses detailed life stories to analyse how a person's psychology, experiences and decisions shape who they become. Although it centres on individuals, the approach can be extended to planning cities that are undergoing major change driven by Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. Applying it to urban settings could help people make more deliberate choices today about what their cities and communities will become. Cities and communities around the world that have already prototyped and put in place AI systems, robotics and humanoids offer useful cases to study. Examining them opens up key questions about ethics, public acceptance, urban identity and the design of physical and virtual community spaces.