Join planners, policymakers and economic development professionals for this timely discussion about planning and data centers at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, in the Architecture Building, Room 100.

Data centers built by IT giants like Meta and Google have been welcomed by some communities eager for tax money, spurned by others over concerns about environmental effects, and put on hold in other locales. They are needed, advocates say, to handle the increasing demands of AI.

The panelists are:
  • Jesse Brown, a city councilor in Indianapolis.
  • Angela (Furore) Smith, senior planner at JPR in northern Indiana.
  • John Urbahns, president and CEO of Greater Fort Wayne,  the chamber of commerce and economic development agency for Fort Wayne and Allen County.

Moderated by Dr. John West, chair of the Department of Urban Planning, this panel won’t take a pro or con position on data centers, rather it will look at how planners and elected officials make decisions related to data centers and how community interests and protection plays into those decisions.

“We hope to have a conversation that enlightens student and community members on this pressing topic,” says Dr. West. “We’re grateful to the panelists who’ve agreed to share their experiences with us.”
For more information, contact planning@bsu.edu