The overarching goal of the project is to experiment with new methods for public engagement on urban design that would help make the smart city’s infrastructure space visible, legible and actionable. The project asked: how can we evoke concern over the smart city’s emergent infrastructure space? And how can we open up new ways to think about the relations between space and value in the information-centric city?
The pilot phase of the project (funded by the Stimuleringsfonds Starter Grant) focused on investigating urban data acquisition and modelling. We developed a prototype tool that allows the combination of different spatial datasets in a single model, and tested it in an installation that was commissioned by Het Nieuwe Instituut, part of the “Embassy of Data” exhibition during Dutch Design Week 2017.
We used the prototype software we developed as part of this research to create a panoramic urban data visualisation of the area surrounding the exhibition (the centre of Eindhoven). Additionally, we put some of the sensors that can be found throughout the city on display together with detailed descriptions of their functions and uses, literally opening up the ‘black box’ of smart urban technology.
The pilot phase of the project (funded by the Stimuleringsfonds Starter Grant) focused on investigating urban data acquisition and modelling. We developed a prototype tool that allows the combination of different spatial datasets in a single model, and tested it in an installation that was commissioned by Het Nieuwe Instituut, part of the “Embassy of Data” exhibition during Dutch Design Week 2017.
We used the prototype software we developed as part of this research to create a panoramic urban data visualisation of the area surrounding the exhibition (the centre of Eindhoven). Additionally, we put some of the sensors that can be found throughout the city on display together with detailed descriptions of their functions and uses, literally opening up the ‘black box’ of smart urban technology.
We found that the installation, especially at this location, was very successful in engaging both the general and the local public. Over the course of one week, several hundreds of people visited the panorama, where they were greeted by a host that introduced the topic. This resulted in multiple, lively discussions among the public about a technology that is installed in their name but often out of sight and beyond debate. The exhibition proved that if presented clearly and evocatively, this subject, often deemed too abstract or too complex, resonates well with a general public. Making legible what is otherwise invisible or hidden infrastructure proved to be a successful strategy.
With that said, we found the lack of useable, open-access data to be a lingering issue. The smart city, to the extent that it actually exists, is fragmented and distributed amongst a range of actors who may or may not wish to collaborate.
The project is a collaboration between Roy Bendor and Richard Vijgen, and was funded by a Starter Grant from the Stimuleringsfonds (Creative Industry). Bendor, Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology, led the ideation process. Vijgen, information designer at Studio Richard Vijgen and lecturer at Arnhem School of Art and Design, undertook the technical work, including data collection, visualization, and exhibition design.
With that said, we found the lack of useable, open-access data to be a lingering issue. The smart city, to the extent that it actually exists, is fragmented and distributed amongst a range of actors who may or may not wish to collaborate.
The project is a collaboration between Roy Bendor and Richard Vijgen, and was funded by a Starter Grant from the Stimuleringsfonds (Creative Industry). Bendor, Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology, led the ideation process. Vijgen, information designer at Studio Richard Vijgen and lecturer at Arnhem School of Art and Design, undertook the technical work, including data collection, visualization, and exhibition design.