Twitter bots, aggregators, social software, mobile apps - we use these things more and more in our daily routines to make our lives better. But can we also use them to remake our cities altogether? How can these technologies be applied to transform urban spaces, changing them from the centralized, hard-coded things they are today into finely-tuned, fluid, user-operated systems that are efficient, sustainable and fit for life in the 21st century?
when you make your sustainable city do not include the internet as research has recently shown that two google searches emit the same level of co2 as boiling a pot of water for your afternoon tea.
I think sustainability in this case isn't really about someone's CO2 footprint, it's more about building community and "hacking" the built environment.
nam - very awesome - I might have to drag my spouse up to Montreal for a weekend. (I really like the "foamy velour suits challenge authority")
I've been seeing a lot more of this small-scale urban intervention/activism stuff lately... and it's not necessarily coming from architects.
Toast,
Yeah i love the idea. It seems alot is being done even outside of the "established art community" a sin street art(ists)
the street art website Woostercollective.com
does a great job chronicling some of these type of things.
I personally hope it becomes a trend. More people need to do it in my opinion. It is similar to the idea (from 60s et al) of taking back the streets/city but in a quirky, human/humane and important way...
nam - I went to see the "actions" exhibit over the weekend - fantastic. Any exhibit where you get to play in a giant inflatable donut is great in my book. The CCA is pretty awesome as well...
Montreal is by far one of my favorite cities - it's about a half-a-day's drive from Boston - good for a long weekend trip. too bad it's really freakin' cold this time of year - and I can still never figure out how to get around the underground walkways.
what was interesting to me about the exhibit aside from the projects was that here we were in a museum, that I'm guessing is funded by the Canadian government, in an exhibit all about challenging authority and participating in subversive activities. Something you'd almost never find in the states.
There are some upcoming corresponding workshops that might be worth checking out:
21 Feb: Discovering the unmonitored underground city - a tour of surveillance cameras in Montreal. English
7 Mar: Exploring Urban Micro-Climates: members of Syn-Atelier D'Exploration Urbaine lead a tour of Micro-climates favorable to occupation in downtown Montreal. French (not sure what this is about - maybe about squatting?)
14 Mar: Making Seed Bombs: workshop on making seed bombs. French/English
4 Apr: Mapping Rural Montreal: "exploration" of rural sites in Montreal. English (one thing that always strikes me about Montreal is how compact the city is, and once you leave the island you are literally in farmland)
11 Apr: Scouting Skateboard Sites: French.
18 Apr: Foraging on Mount Royal: Urban Foraging. English
Feb 18, 09 2:30 pm ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
DIY city
came across this on Boing Boing:
DIY City
Twitter bots, aggregators, social software, mobile apps - we use these things more and more in our daily routines to make our lives better. But can we also use them to remake our cities altogether? How can these technologies be applied to transform urban spaces, changing them from the centralized, hard-coded things they are today into finely-tuned, fluid, user-operated systems that are efficient, sustainable and fit for life in the 21st century?
any thoughts?
i just saw this today. how 'bout for starters, an electronic gadget that gives you a bike lane wherever you go?
when you make your sustainable city do not include the internet as research has recently shown that two google searches emit the same level of co2 as boiling a pot of water for your afternoon tea.
steven - awesome.
vado - I use a solar cooker to boil my tea. ;-)
I think sustainability in this case isn't really about someone's CO2 footprint, it's more about building community and "hacking" the built environment.
nam - very awesome - I might have to drag my spouse up to Montreal for a weekend. (I really like the "foamy velour suits challenge authority")
I've been seeing a lot more of this small-scale urban intervention/activism stuff lately... and it's not necessarily coming from architects.
Toast,
Yeah i love the idea. It seems alot is being done even outside of the "established art community" a sin street art(ists)
the street art website Woostercollective.com
does a great job chronicling some of these type of things.
I personally hope it becomes a trend. More people need to do it in my opinion. It is similar to the idea (from 60s et al) of taking back the streets/city but in a quirky, human/humane and important way...
well... it looks like these kinds of projects are getting funding...
ybike
nam - I went to see the "actions" exhibit over the weekend - fantastic. Any exhibit where you get to play in a giant inflatable donut is great in my book. The CCA is pretty awesome as well...
Man
I have totally been wanting to return to visit Montreal again.
It has been literally ages. And i didn't know about the CCA back then.
Montreal is by far one of my favorite cities - it's about a half-a-day's drive from Boston - good for a long weekend trip. too bad it's really freakin' cold this time of year - and I can still never figure out how to get around the underground walkways.
what was interesting to me about the exhibit aside from the projects was that here we were in a museum, that I'm guessing is funded by the Canadian government, in an exhibit all about challenging authority and participating in subversive activities. Something you'd almost never find in the states.
There are some upcoming corresponding workshops that might be worth checking out:
21 Feb: Discovering the unmonitored underground city - a tour of surveillance cameras in Montreal. English
7 Mar: Exploring Urban Micro-Climates: members of Syn-Atelier D'Exploration Urbaine lead a tour of Micro-climates favorable to occupation in downtown Montreal. French (not sure what this is about - maybe about squatting?)
14 Mar: Making Seed Bombs: workshop on making seed bombs. French/English
4 Apr: Mapping Rural Montreal: "exploration" of rural sites in Montreal. English (one thing that always strikes me about Montreal is how compact the city is, and once you leave the island you are literally in farmland)
11 Apr: Scouting Skateboard Sites: French.
18 Apr: Foraging on Mount Royal: Urban Foraging. English
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.