What if cities could talk? Or transit systems could tell you how
they’re feeling? Sounds crazy, but it’s not that far-fetched.
“Urban informatics” could change the way people understand and
interact with cities, says Dan Hill, a designer, urbanist and
senior consultant at Arup in Sydney. He explains the idea of
projecting real-time data onto the physical environment of a
city, such as a lamppost or observation tower, in order to
enliven public space, improve the mass transit experience, and
transform the way citizens relate to their urban surroundings.
Data, which exist all around us, would be accessible to
everyone, rather than contained on a mobile device, such as an
iPhone or laptop. Muti-sensory interaction design now merges
with architecture, planning and an urbanism informed by a gentle
ambient drizzle of everyday data – and so a new soft city is
being created, alive once again to the touch of its citizens.
Just imagine if you could use light projections, e-ink, or LEDs
to display a “smart meter” of ene