It is about Interconnectivity

This blog is dedicated to a project being conducted by four students of the City University of London.  This  project involves reimagining  smart cities. It will gives us, students the possibility to explore different aspects of a city, identifying challenges and opportunities that will lead our choices to what to focus our project on. The guidelines are not at all narrow which makes this project extremely interesting and full of opportunities for exploration and creation. The following posts on this blog will reflect the different stages of this project, my own research and contribution as well as the challenges, opportunities and learning encountered on this journey .

Growing up in the 80s, my idea of a city of the future was well illustrated by my favourite  cartoon, ‘The Jetsons’ . The cartoon produced in the 60s, was an utopian vision of the city of the future. The Jetsons lived in a city of the 21st century where people had flying cars, drones were able to transport people anywhere they wanted and kitchen appliances were able to prepare a three course meal in only a few seconds. We are still waiting for the majority of that futuristic technology enjoyed by the Jetsons. However, some of the devices such as smartwatches, video phones and robotic help showed on the cartoon are actually a reality.

As I travel back to my childhood and teenager years, it is impossible not to remember my favourite movie of all times, ‘Back to The Future’. It was actually a trilogy. Three amazing science fiction movies starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. Marty is a young guy, who travels back and forth in time, in a time machine invented by his friend Dr. Emmett Brown.

Without a doubt my favourite one was the second movie of the trilogy, in which Marty McFly goes to the future to help his son that is about to get into serious trouble . In this movie, Marty travels from the  80s to the year 2015. In this future that he goes to, he is surprised by all sorts of technology such as self drying clothes, hoverboards, 3D outdoors and of course, flying cars.

It is  interesting the idea from cities of the future from the  60s when ‘The Jetsons’ was first aired  and the view form the 80s when ‘Back to the future’ was released. There are a lot of similarities, specially the obsession with flying cars. What about today? What does it come to our minds when we think about cities of the future or how we called them today, smart cities? 

When addressing smart cities today, most of us think of technology solutions to urban problems driven by huge amounts of data. We definitely have moved on from ‘The Jetsons’ utopia vison of the future.  However, how realistic is today’s view of smart cities?       

A quick search online, and we can see many examples of pre-planned spaces, where innovative solutions are already being applied to some of the most challenging issues in urban areas. 

Songdo in South Korea, is one of the cities considered to be ‘smart’. It is important to take into consideration that Songdo was planned, projected and built with sustainability in focus  and also to provide its citizens with essential services such as parks, schools and hospitals. All theses facilities can easily be reached thanks to an efficient transport system.

When considering some of the smart cities approaches in cities like Songdo,  another question arises. Can smart solutions implemented in pre-planned spaces be implemented in existing cities and areas around the globe? The question arises from the fact that each city in the world has its own dynamics and a social economic structure in place. solutions have to take these differences into account to be implemented realistically.

In a paper that I have recently read, "The ‘actually existing smart cities’” written by Shelton, Taylor, Matthew Zook, and Alan Wiig. The authors reflect on the view of smart cities being data driven and profit focused. Even though this approach opens room for criticism, the authors argue that the focus should not only be in this simplistic view of how smart cities are built, but how this approach takes place and their outcomes in existing cities.  The article also reflects on how data driven solutions are being implemented and if they capture challenges of these cities from a citizen perspective. 

By reflecting on this paper, my intention is not to discard  the importance of data driven approaches, but when it comes to challenges faced by existing cities around the globe, data may not capture issues that lie in the complexity of existing structures. Quantitative approaches do provide valuable insights when it comes to decision making. However, a more holistic approach may generate a much more profound understanding of a city’s challenges and struggles. 

On my previous blog post, I reflected on the concept of smart cities and how it is automatically connected to big data. The smart solutions of today’s cities mean data driven solutions. I have also discussed the need to take a broader look when addressing smart cities challenges. I thought it would be interesting to find out how people around me perceive the concept of smart cities.

I decided to spend some time informally asking my friends and colleagues about their own views on smart cities. During these conversations, I have noticed that the focus of these discussions always moved rapidly from ‘what are smart cities?’ to ‘How do I feel about smart cities?’

Fear and lack of trust were feelings shared by many of the people I spoke to. I started to wonder how we can consider cities to be smart if their own citizens do not trust or are afraid of them.

When it comes to smart cities, there is a big blur between big tech companies and governance initiatives and  citizens. We often  know that data is being collected but don't really know how, when and how secure this data collection is. We also hear about the importance of data capture to make our lives better. However, these solutions are not always visible or accessible to citizens. How can we trust something that is not transparent? How can we break this wall between us, and smart technology approaches ?

A quick walk in the city and it is easy to spot technological solutions. These pictures below are a great examples that illustrate how disconnected we are with what it is around us. During a walk around Clerkenwell in London, my colleagues and I have come across things that we either never noticed before or didn't know what they were.Technological solutions are not always obvious to us, and knowing what they are and what they do is just as important as how innovative and efficient they are. 

What are they? Who are they for? Who put them there? Who can help me to use them?

I started wondering if cities can actually be considered smart, without being inclusive of its own citizens. I believe that when it comes smart cities approaches, citizens often feel that they are not part of it. It is almost as if it is happening in the background of ours lives, and we are just consumers and data providers. How can we feel less of a spectator and and have more of an active role? How can we feel empowered? How can we be empowered?

Looking for inspiration, I came across to a few examples of projects being adopted by different cities. Some of these projects have put citizens at the centre of innovative solutions through participatory and collaborative initiatives. The idea of these projects is to achieve solutions for urban problems by enabling citizens to become co- creators of these solutions.

What is interesting about all these initiatives, is that technology is enabling citizens to have a more of an active role. However, I wonder if these initiatives can promote a true engagement and if they are in fact, inclusive of all segments of society.

I came across recently to the term ‘Digital Democracy’. It refers to the role of technology in the democratic process and how democratic methods can be reconsidered through digital technology. Citizens have access to all sorts of information online and using tools such as Twitter and Facebook, they can share their opinions and thoughts. However, how much of that digital participation actually impacts government policies and decision making. I believe that digital democracy is about the use of digital tools to enable citizens to participate democratically in the decision making process of what will directly impact them. Digital tools can be used to allow citizens not only to vote for politicians, but also for them to have a say in government decisions.

The more I think about  digital democracy, the more I think about the importance of  considering existing cities when thinking about smart cities. How can we  consider digital democracy while a large percentage of the population has not got access to the digital world? Is that democratic at all? What about parts of the world where citizens are still considered digital illiterate? When thinking about smart cities we need to consider how the digital divide can be bridged.

Empowerment of citizens can only truly be achieved through a series of initiatives, such as digital education, data clarity, realistic smart approaches and digital democracy.

It's impossible to think about citizen’s empowerment without addressing data privacy. With the many scandals of big companies and data being hacked, it is expected  that citizens have worries about innovative technologies. Almost everything we do today can be tracked. Our spendings, journeys and phone calls. Citizens do not have clarity of what's happening with their own data. Policies and regulations such as GDPR in Europe, have been enforcing companies to keep data only if they have a reason, and citizens also have the right to request the details of the data that companies hold. However, there is still not enough clarity on which companies hold data, what data they hold, how they are using and how long for. With the internet of things, the problem becomes even more complicated as smart devices send information to the internet and also connect to other devices. It is essential the continuous use and development of security technology, policies and regulations to protect the data privacy.

Empowerment of citizens can only truly be achieved through a series of initiatives such as digital education, data clarity, realistic smart approaches, digital democracy and data privacy regulations.

At this moment, in the project I believe people empowerment became an important value that we all wanted to explore.

 Notes:

Info mentioned on this blog post can be found on the following links 

https://mobility.here.com/barcelona-smart-city-people-people

https://towardsdatascience.com/8-years-on-amsterdam-is-still-leading-the-way-as-a-smart-city-79bd91c7ac13

After reflecting on smart cities and citzens, it became clear that smart cities do not become smart by only innovative data drive solutions and futuristic technology. It is paramount to have a realistic view of the socio economic structures, engaged and informed citizens and realistic approaches. Of course technology has a fundamental role in the process of creating smart cities. In fact, I would like to address the role of technology within the smart  city context.

In my previous blog post, I have mentioned a few initiatives in cities like Barcelona and Amsterdam. These initiatives are creating the possibility for citizens to have an active role when it comes to the cities they live in. What is interesting about all these initiatives, is that technology works as an enabler and not as the main goal.

Cities have always needed innovation in order to evolve. Considering the urban challenges that cities face today, the importance of data capture and technology is undeniable. However, technology should not always be the ultimate answer when addressing these challenges. The need for innovation and technology can not become more important than the need of cities’ space and citizens.

Before I go any further about technology and smart cities, I would like to reflect on a recent exploration I went on a few days ago. My aim was to go to different places around London to observe the design and purpose of various things around the city. It was an interesting exploratory exercise.  

One of the places I visited was the London Design Museum. It was actually my first time visiting the museum. Initially, I was drawn to the ‘Moving to Mars’ exhibition. It is a display of what we know about the red planet and the intentions of scientists and entrepreneurs to make possible for human beings to go to Mars and live there. Design plays an important role in this exhibition, not only for the journey to get to Mars but to the actual artefacts and structures that are going to be necessary for us to start colonising the planet. The exhibition was very interesting. However, the exhibition that grabbed my attention was the ‘Designer Maker User’. This exhibition invites us to look at the development of modern design through three interconnected perspectives, the user, the maker and the designer. The entire exhibition is very interesting, but a big wall at the entrance of the exhibition displaying different objects really caught my attention.

This wall was a crowdsource wall with affordable everyday designs. Various people have nominated these objects  based on their usefulness, beauty or personal memories. What struck me the most when looking at this wall was the simplicity of the objects chosen and the value that they have for most people. It made me think of the design of the incredible objects that we use in our everyday life. The design of some of them are very simplistic. However we value them so much because they fit perfectly for their purpose. 

I guess that the reason why  I am linking the simplicity of the design of some of these objects to smart cities, is to reflect on the fact that smart cities should not be technology led. City designers should not just  assume that complex issues can only be addressed through futuristic technology.

With a less futuristic view in mind, my colleagues and I have been discussing about the roles of the simple things that matter to us and their place within the smart city context.

The more I think about what it is important to me, the more I recognise the importance of reconnecting with such things and how that would happen in a smart city context. 

I have been talking to my colleagues about the importance of nature in our life and all the benefits that we gain from being in touch with nature. I guess before exploring the role of nature within the smart city context, I thought it would be a good idea to try and reconnect myself to nature.

I realised that the only way to do that was to immerse myself and getting my hands dirty, literally!

Even though my idea was not to explore the role of nature in smart cities, I still wanted my experimentations to be relevant to the  smart city context at some level. 

As the urban population growth is one of the challenges of cities, housing becomes one of  the main challenges. As we struggle for space, houses and flats are likely to become even smaller than they already are today. Thinking smart about how we use and manage spaces is paramount. Living in a small flat myself, I thought that it would be a good idea to think of different ways to enjoy nature in small spaces. 

After discussing with my colleagues and doing a a bit of online digging, I came across the idea of vertical gardens. I thought the idea of a vertical garden perfect for my experimentation.

Visit to a garden centre

I was very surprised by the options available not only for gardens but for people that want to have plants indoors or in other small spaces. The options are endless. However it can be a bit expensive. 

After a quick walk around, I decided to buy seeds rosemary. It would be interesting to grow something that I could also use later. I have also purchased some vertical woven material planting pockets. I have decided to use these pockets because they take less space than regular pots and can be hung anywhere.

Experiment 1- Planting a Vertical Garden

Figure1. Wall planting pockets made from woven material and webbing surrounds. They are suitable for plants, herbs and even tomatoes. The top pockets feature drainage holes that help to water the plants below. It can be hung on screwed up to a wall or fence.

Figure 2. A third of the bottom pockets were filled with multi purpose compost with the help of a spoon.  

Figure 3. Rosemary seeds were added and another layer of compost was added on top. A bit of water was added on top. The bottom pocket is sealed to prevent leakage.

Figure 4. As the vertical garden was hung on to metal hooks, it was moved to different places around the house to make sure enough sun light was being caught by the plants. The herbs started to come out after after 10 days.

After a bit of researching and with the vertical gardens idea in mind, I thought it would be a good exercise to reimagine my own flat and  think about other possibilities to have nature around, considering the lack of physical space. 

It was a very interesting experience to reimagine how I could have more plants in my own flat and to plant my very first vertical garden. Being inspired by the different ideas of how plants can be part of homes even when space is a problem, I decided to immerse myself in experimentation again.

Instead of thinking differently about my own space, I decided to think differently about plants themselves.

I found a couple of blogs with information on growing tomatoes upside down and the ideas sounded very interesting. The main reason is to save space, but according to some of these blogs, there are several positive aspects of it. Apparently, upside down tomatoes are easy to maintain. In bad weather, they can just be moved to a different location and because they are not in the soil, pests and diseases are limited. Of course there are some downsides, such as the need for extra water and the weight. I became fascinated with the idea and decided to start my own upside down garden.

Experiment 2 - Upside-down garden

Figure 1. Materials: knife, tape, empty recyclable yogurt pots, multi purpose compost and string to make a plant pot holder. 

Figure 2. A hole was made on the bottom of the yogurt pot so the leaves could come out and grow.

Figure 3. The idea of this experiment was to transfer existing plants that had grown in the traditional way and plant it upside down and monitor their behaviour. Soil and multi purpose compost was added to the bottom of the yogurt pots. After the plants were transferred to the pots more compost was added. Pots were sealed  with clear tape.

Figure 4. For this experiment I wanted to do everything from scratch, including the plant holders. All I needed was a pair of scissors, some string and a round metal ring to tie the string. I cut about 8 long pieces of string and tied together on the round metal ring. Once the pieces of string were tied,  all I had to do was to tie the string together by doing knots along them.

Figure 5. The plant pots were inserted in the plant pot holders and were hung upside down. It has been 3 weeks and the plants are looking beautiful and healthy. Plants are being watered every other day.

This was a very important experiment to me as it made me reflect on the importance of thinking differently and challenging existing approaches and methods.

A few days after I conducted my ‘upside down garden’ experiment, I came across an article about ‘Lateral Thinking’. The article is actually a reflection on a book called ‘Lateral Thinking’ by Dr. Edward Bono.

According to this book, there are two ways in which people think, vertically and laterally. Vertical thinking is responsible for the everyday decision making, logical thinking and problem solving skills. Vertical thinking is important to us. However, this logical and pattern based way of thinking can limit our creativity. Lateral thinking refers to the process of  deconstruct these patterns.  

Lateral thinking doesn't offer only one answer to a problem, but allows reflection on different strategies and many possibilities.

I have shared on this blog a few issues when considering smart cities, such as the importance of considering existing cities to achieve more realistic solutions,  and the role of technology as an enabler and not as the main goal. I believe that these issues do relate to the way we think about design today. When it comes to smart cities lateral thinking is essential, not only for solutions but also for the strategies to implement them. Innovative solutions and approaches also require innovative ways of thinking.

At this moment, myself and colleagues were pretty much set on values that were important to us and also on the idea to reconnect ourselves with nature. I decided to focus some of my time exploring different ways of thinking...

Notes:

Link to the article mentioned on this blog.

Before rethinking about nature and how we could reconnect to it within the smart city context, I had to immerse myself again and actually getting to know nature a bit more. Living in big cities, we always assume that in order to be in touch with nature with need to get out and go to the countryside or any other area that we considered to be more ‘green’. I have lately been taking my time to observe what is around me. I have been observing not only plants  but also all the other species around where I live. There is so much nature around us. It's been  really interesting to observe their shapes, colours and the innovative ways nature finds to survive and thrive.

What struck me the most during my walks, was how little I knew about them. I do not know their names, what they eat or their role in nature. These are species that we share our city with. They perform essential jobs every day that are vital to us. How can we be so detached from living beings that we share our space with and that are so essential for our lives and well being?

After spending a few days observing, filming, taking photos and reading about different species, I started to imagine how a working day or a working hour would be for some of these species. I guess my intention by imagining their stories, was to reconnect to nature by looking at it from a different perspective.

The storyboards below illustrate some of the vital roles of the species around us. Not only they are important to the ecosystem, but without them we would not be here. I started to wonder if we were to consider not only our stories but also their stories when designing. How the design thinking and process would change if  their struggles and challenges were taken in to consideration?

Some of the material that I have been collecting for the past few, days show the amount of nature that we have around us and the beauty of all these different species. I have decided to share some of the photos and recordings. This material have been put together in a short video. 

A simple storyboard was created to organise the structure of the content of the video. It helped me to plan and visualise what I intended to do and how it would flow. 

The video below introduces us to some of our own neighbours. They produce beautiful music, they teach us strategies to thrive and survive and they do a lot  for us. Shouldn't we be thinking more about them? What was interesting about making this video was getting to know a bit better the neighbours we usually do not say hello to.

Being inspired by the concept of biophilia, which is a term that describes humans inherent need to be exposure to the natural world, my colleges and I have been exploring innovative ways to think about nature in the smart city context. We have explored options such as vertical gardens that move around cities according to citizen needs and plants that can grown at any weather. We  soon realised how human-centric our ideas were. We all decided to take a turn from these ideas and look at nature from a different angle.

We tend to look at innovative solutions and designs from a human perspective. I wonder if this form of looking at the world is selfish and narrow-minded. How can we be sure that wonderful ideas can come only from human minds? Maybe it's time to take the focus from ourselves and see what we can learn from other species. After all, they are capable of doing things that we have been trying to do for centuries, but have not yet succeeded. There are millions of species that have been on this planet for a lot longer than us and probably have more experience with survival techniques than us.

Nature does not have all the smart tools that we have. In fact, some of the resources that nature has, are constantly being damaged by us, humans. However, nature can still do what it is still unimaginable to us. Flowers like orchids for example can grow, bloom, go through a period of rest and rebirth again. There is a type of jellyfish that can actually age backwards. Isn't this something that we  have been working on for centuries?

Feeling a little bit more connect to nature and with the idea of thinking differently about the world we live in, I have decided to a bit of research on initiatives that have challenged pre existing patterns and that lateral thinking has been demonstrated and applied. 

During my research I came across to the term biomimicry. I spent some time reading about it and I was amazed by the concept. Biomimicry is basically a practice that mimics strategies used by nature to solve existing problems. These strategies can be incorporated into the design of solutions to many challenges that our planet faces.

The idea is to learn from nature, and at the same time create empathy and a more harmonious world.

Another methodology I came across was ‘Planet Centric Design’. This is a method for designing that does not harm the planet. Planet centric design does not consider us, humans, to be the main focus on our planet. Humans are actually part of an interconnected system that should be understood, and considered when designing products or services.

Planet centric design does not consider only aspects such as economy, efficiency and innovation. It considers essential to think responsibly about how we design and the consequences of it to the interconnected system we living in.

This less anthropocentric view of the world does fit with some of the pillars of the smart city concept. When it comes to sustainability we do need to reflect on the current methods, business models and innovative initiatives that we currently rely on today. 

My colleagues and I have been reflecting deeply about the role of nature within the smart city context, and the importance of considering all the different ecosystems when designing smart spaces. 

All my research and exploration have connected me with nature on greater level. Creating this connection between us and other species on a deeper level is the base to create a more responsible approach when it comes to design.

We have considered many ideas to encourage and create this connection. However, this ideas were not reflecting our true intentions. 

The  idea was not to understand other living beings from a human being perspective. It was important for this project to give them a voice and to think about what they would say to us.

I have been reflecting on the meaning of the word empathy. We all know that some people are more empathetic than others. I do believe that being able to understand others from their own perspective is an important trait to have, and it does enhance the relationship with the ones around you.

Is empathy an inheritable trait that we either are born with or not? Or, is it a human trait and we are all able to feel? And if we are all able to feel empathy, how can we encourage and create that feeling in others?

I have read a few articles that helped me grasp the concept of empathy and the possibility of creating empathetic feelings through the use of tools and techniques.

One of the articles is about a game concept. This game would attempt to build empathy through immersive design. The game would involve a series of stages in which players would be able to experience symptoms of Alzheimer's diseases through simulation. By experiencing the symptoms, players would be able to understand those battling with the disease better. This could be beneficial to caregivers and families of those living with people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The other article reflects on the importance of empathy as a skill in a diverse and globally connected world. It also reflects on how games can allow players to build empathy through immersive experiences.

When it comes to the design of smart cities and how we have to consider all the living beings that we share the same space with, empathy is essential. It is essential not only to design without harming all the habitants of our planet, but to understand why this is important. Again, technology can be an enabler when we think about tools and techniques to enhance empathy, like some of the examples hilighted by the articles I have read it.

I also believe that empathy is a trait that encourages creative and lateral thinking. When people are able to experience and feel what others do, empathy becomes a motivational tool to think deeper about the many possibilities to deal with different issues. Also, empathy brings people closer to realities different from their own, that helps people to consider many aspects that they would not consider otherwise.

We have been exploring  different things as a group and individually. We considered several options in terms of the games people could play. We even considered board games. However, our research was pointing us towards simulation and immersion.

Immersive games have the power to transport players to a different world. When immerse in a game players are not observing, they are actually experiencing. These dynamics of immersive games  can also lead to emotional experience, which is essential for our idea to create empathy.

For the past few days I have been immersing myself in the world of gaming. I have even spent some time watching videos of people playing different games. I thought it would be interesting to hear their comments and reactions while they were playing.

I have come across a game called ECO. It is a simulation game and players have to create a civilization on a virtual planet. Players get to develop laws, government and the economy. All that must be done by using the resources of the planet responsibly.

I have also done a bit of research on the popular game SimCity.  SimCity is a game that players get to develop a city. Players get to develop and control the city’s infrastructure and services.

My group and myself were very excited about thinking about how all these inspiration we got from our individual exploration could help us with creating a game concept that would encourage empathy.  

We started thinking about the dynamics of the game and how interesting would be if players could actually be different species. Different from ECO and SimCity, players would be able to experience the world they live in through different perspectives.

We have all individually spent time thinking about how this game would look like and what sort of experiences we would include in order to help players to understand nature on a deeper level.

These are some of the things I had fun

 thinking about...

what characters I would include and what sort of information players would have. 

Scenarios that we could expose players to in order to create reflective thinking.

Knowledge that the players would get through that experience.

And the quests that player could go on and how that could be developed in order to encourage empathy.

And finally, how we could present that visually.

I believe that the reason we were all so pleased with the concept we created, is because it reflects important values and concepts that have emerged to us all during the whole project journey. I guess we were all very drawn to the idea of reconnecting to things that were important to us and use of technology to enable those connections to be made.

Considering some of the important pillars of the smart city concept such as sustainability and people empowerment, our concept would promote reflective thinking about the world we live in and empower people to make more responsible decisions when planning and designing for smart cities. I guess this game concept also has shown lateral thinking, which is something that I have been valuing and working on as I believe it to be essential to the designers in all different fields.

I have recently watched a TED talk about how smart cities need smarter design education. The speaker reflects on the fact that technological advancement and design education are not evolving at the same speed. The speaker also addresses the fact that smart cities are not only about high-tech solutions , but also about simple principles being applied smartly.

The focus on innovative technologies lead people not to think about the processes of creating and developing them. Shouldn't we be also spending time and effort in rethinking our patterns and techniques when we are trying to address certain challenges ? As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I do believe that lateral thinking is one of the keys to better design solutions.

One of the main points of the  video is about the importance of education in creating better designers of the future. We have evolved the way we do many things in life, but what about the way people are still learning about technology? How can we rethink the way we think about design and techniques and encourage new ways of thinking through education?

This video also made me reflect about the importance of tools such as the one we have thought of and how they could have an impact not only on designers of today, but how they could be used to help, encourage and motivate the designers of the future.