Citizen interactions in Smart cities: The Zone of Possibility

iCity Conference keynote

John Cook, CMIR, UWE BristolJohn2.Cook@uwe.ac.uk

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Structure

1. Introduction 2. Zone of Possibility (ZoP)3. ZoP Cinefest4. ZoP Stokes Croft5. Questions & Discussion

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1. Introduction

• Almei (2014) on hybrid city – “when the physical and the digital dimensions of reality blend a

hybrid reality is formed”

• We would agree insomuch as an examination is needed of the co-evolution of hybrid concepts such as – ‘digital-physical’ – ‘power-control’

• Development of citizen led ‘hybrid cities’ in which social web technologies mediate – readiness for digitally mediated work-based practice – urban regeneration in what we term the Zone of Possibility (ZoP)

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1. Introduction

• Work coming out of the EC funded Learning Layers project

• Worked with the health sector in UK and creative sector in Bristol

• Co-designing Open Source hybrid realities in a Zone of Possibility (ZoP)

• Design and Research Challenge: – In the context of socio-technical environments, how can the design

process and design thinking advance or bridge our social capital?

• For more details http://goo.gl/AX3vsR

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2. Zone of Possibility

• Helping citizens participate with each other in groups (a Zone) calls for orchestrating social supports (via navigation and bridging aids) so that citizens can benefit from the ideas of others (Possibility).

• The generic ZoP app allows you set up a Digital Public Space using Android devices

• Users can record video clips, annotate points of interest at a specific time and location in a frame, share and discuss

• In this way interesting findings and events at work or in a community project can become the focus of situated conversations

• The ZoP app allows users and groups to operate in what we call a Zone of Possibility or ZoP

• It is essentially a peer-to-peer tool that engages with a wide range of challenges from social regeneration, to work place problem solving, heritage and culture, smart cities and urban data

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ZoP app

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Generic Zone of Possibility (ZoP) app

Based on Ach So! app, developed for the Construction Industry by Aalto Univerity

3. ZoP app

The ZoP app is currently Andriod based, features•Capture video•Play video •Annotations at key moments in video •See video details•Tag video i.e. genre selection •Upload video to Cloud•Share video with group•Discuss video and annotations with group •Achrails back end web server, soon to be hosted UWE

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ZoP app being used to develop Cinefest app with Sarah Sparke

3. ZoP Cinefest

Developing readiness for digitally mediated work-based practice

10http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/

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4. ZoP Stokes Croft

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Use of entrepreneurship and culture in city regeneration

Field trials Stokes Croft June 2015

13“Telepathic Heights” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-13168713

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75 cmThe Space next

to the yard

http://www.prsc.org.uk/thespace/

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Edward William Godwin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_William_Godwin

Northampton Guildhall

Vision Statement Stokes Croft app• Stokes Croft app is based on Zone of Possibility design principle

• It is a digital public space where “community reporters” from the inner city neighbourhood of Stokes Croft in Bristol can share their stories of social resilience to create opportunity and urban regeneration through culture

• The Stokes Croft app related website will use these stories to give insights that influence and inform people and organisations

• Users may consume the media, comment on it or make their own media to develop an argument or propose an idea

• There are a series of questions that must be answered for the ZoP-SC website to fulfill its role as a) a zone of possibility for the participants and b) a learning resource for others– How should the Zone of Possibility be realized?– How can a non-authoritative resource be useful as a

learning tool?– Who will contribute? And, how can we build

participation? The 1-9-90 rule– Who are the audiences?

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Q&A / Discussion

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