With the influx of smart phones which incorporate GPS technology, mapping human spatial behavior has become both accessible and inexpensive. The ubiquitous nature of this type of computing allows for a dynamic and interactive engagement between data, user and place. From a planning perspective, this location awareness, entrenched in mobile communication technologies, holds a somewhat unexplored potential of engaging citizens and communities in the planning process and the co-production of our cities.

The paper reports on a research project in-progress, exploring methodological challenges and constraints of employing smart phones as a planning tool .The empirical work is carried out in Vollsmose, a multi-ethnic housing estate located in the city of Odense, Denmark, in collaboration with the local council. Vollsmose, like many Danish housing estates planned according to the CIAM principles, suffer from mono-functionality and poor physical, social, economic and mental integration into the surrounding city. In order to address these issues, a new master plan has been initiated for Vollsmose. Smart phones will be employed as planning tool allowing for locally informed perspectives on Vollsmose to be included in the planning process. The paper looks at the methodological set-up of the experiment and will include initial results of the empirical work carried out in the spring 2011.