Urban planner and technology forecaster
Greater New York City Area
- Current
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- Research Director at Institute for the Future
- Director at NYCwireless
- Past
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- Research Assistant Professor at New York University, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
- Adjunct Professor at Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
- Fulbright Scholar at Seoul Development Institute
- PhD Student at MIT
- Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Emenity
- Education
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- MIT
- New York University
- Rutgers University
- Stevens Insitute of Technology
- Recommended
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3 people have recommended Anthony - Connections
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228
connections
- Industry
- Architecture & Planning
- Websites
Anthony Townsend’s Summary
Anthony has been researching the implications of new technology on cities and public institutions for over a decade. At IFTF, Anthony’s work focuses on several inter-related topics: pervasive computing, the urban environment, economics and demographics, public and non-profit organizations, and the media industry. Prior to joining IFTF, Anthony enjoyed a brief but productive academic career at New York University, where he directed research sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security. Anthony is active in international futures research networks, and received a Fulbright scholarship in 2004 to study the social impacts of broadband in South Korea. He was one of the original founders of NYCwireless, a pioneer in the municipal wireless movement. Anthony received his Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003.
Anthony Townsend’s Specialties:
Municipal telecommunications policy and planning, wireless public space design, Asia technology market trends
Anthony Townsend’s Experience
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Research Director
Institute for the Future
(Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Think Tanks industry)
June 2005 — Present (4 years 2 months)
The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent nonprofit research group. We work with organizations of all kinds to help them make better, more informed decisions about the future. We provide the foresight to create insights that lead to action.
The Institute is based in California's Silicon Valley, in a community at the crossroads of technological innovation, social experimentation, and global interchange. Founded in 1968 by a group of former RAND Corporation researchers with a grant from the Ford Foundation to take leading-edge research methodologies into the public and business sectors, the IFTF is committed to building the future by understanding it deeply. -
Director
NYCwireless
(Non-Profit; 1-10 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)
May 2001 — Present (8 years 3 months)
Member of Board of Directors of a non-profit community wireless ISP. http://www.nycwireless.net
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Research Assistant Professor
New York University, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
(Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)
September 2004 — May 2005 (9 months)
Conducted research on urban emergency communications under a grant from Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness.
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Adjunct Professor
Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
(Educational Institution; 10,001 or more employees; Higher Education industry)
September 2003 — December 2004 (1 year 4 months)
Created and taught a course on "Wireless Public Space" to graduate students of interactive design and media.
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Fulbright Scholar
Seoul Development Institute
(Government Agency; 51-200 employees; Architecture & Planning industry)
June 2004 — September 2004 (4 months)
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PhD Student
MIT
(Architecture & Planning industry)
1998 — 2003 (5 years)
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Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Emenity
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Wireless industry)
January 2003 — December 2003 (1 year)
Startup deployed public wireless in New York City's public parks.
Anthony Townsend’s Education
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MIT
Ph.D. , Urban and regional planning , September 1998 — September 2003
My dissertation "Wired/Unwired: The Urban Geography of Digital Networks" i available at http://urban.blogs.com/research
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New York University
MUP , Urban planning , September 1996 — May 1998
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Rutgers University
BA , Urban studies, physics , September 1994 — January 1996
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Stevens Insitute of Technology
Engineering (undeclared), journalism September 1992 — May 1994
Additional Information
Anthony Townsend’s Websites:
Anthony Townsend’s Interests:
Sailing, travel, live music
Anthony Townsend’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
