Millennials are seen as the technology generation. It is new tech that will push the envelope and continue to create new ways to interact and cooperate. It is amazing that something like a Lego can bridge a gap and help encourage interaction between Planners and the community. This takes planning to a whole new level!

The article below is by LINDA POON

MIT wants to make transportation planning more transparent—and a bit more fun

MIT researchers unveiled something earlier this month that will please toddlers and serious urban planners alike. It’s a model of Dudley Square—a neighborhood in the greater Boston area—about the size of a kitchen table. The roads, sidewalks, bus stations, and buildings are all made out of Lego blocks. Wee Lego figures represent pedestrians. Laid over it all is a computer-generated projection of the actual neighborhood, filling in the details of current green space and traffic in Dudley Square.

The project is a collaboration between the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the Changing Places group at the MIT Media Lab, and the Barr Foundation, all of whom are are using the new tool to test how bus-rapid transit systems could affect the city. The test includes three components, each representing the city of Boston on a different scale. There’s the Lego model of Dudley Square, another 3-D model (also made of Legos) of a Boston street, and a touchscreen interface to illustrate the potential effects of different plans on a regional scale—such as how changes to public transit might affect people’s access to jobs…

http://www.citylab.com/tech/2015/10/legos-as-a-legitimate-urban-planning-tool/410608/