The notion of a smart city usually entails ideas regarding technocratic organization of the urban sphere by the means of overarching technological structure. This structure is geared at analyzing and the “input” of urban processes and centralized “output” adjustment by the means of algorithms and other devices. The focus, however, skirts the principal user of these technologies: namely, the resident, even though her habits and practices serve as the key link to various types of urban data.
Our aim is to approach the issues of mobility and safety/security in a city from a multitude of viewpoints. We want to see the smart city as a set of interlinked technologies, which bring together grassroots initiatives that help address vital problems such as security, safety, mobility, and the notion of a “smart user”. At the same time, however, out pragmatic goal is to engage with experts in diverse spheres, both from academia and from the industry. We wish to create a forum for meaningful exchanges among scholars, engineers, programmers, architects, and developers, thereby putting together an interdisciplinary focus group capable of tackling pressing problems of the contemporary megalopolis.
The first event in the Smart in the City (SIC) series will be a workshop titled Smart City Ground-Up, which will take place in November of 2014. The event will contain presentations of already realized projects, lectures by practicing architects and urban theorists, sociologists, anthropologists, as well as roundtables fostering conversations among the various practitioners and experts. Following this event, we are planning presentations at the St. Petersburg spatial development forum, which will take place in conjunction with St. Petersburg Governor’s Office and the meeting of the Council of University Presidents. We also plan on organizing a summer school and a hackathon related to this topic.
Partners
- St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics & Optics (ITMO)
- European University at St. Petersburg
- Interdisciplinary Club “Context”
- RVC
Smart City Ground-Up program
November 21st, 2014 (ITMO University, Birzhevaya street, no. 4)
17:00-17:05 Opening remarks
17:05-18:00 Lecture by Molly Wright Steenson (University of Wisconsin, Madison) “Smart or Smart-Ass? A Brief History of Smart”)
18:00-19:30 Pecha Kucha SIC
19:30-20:00 Voting, analysis, and discussion with participants
20:00-22:00 Reception
November 22nd, 2014 (EUSPb, Gagarinskaya street, no. 3)
10:00-10:05 Opening remarks on the morning session, Diana West (EUSPb)
10:05-11:00 Lecture by Antonio Furgiuele (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee) “Notes on the Global Virtual North”
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-13:00 Panel Discussion: “Mobility – A Marker of Success?” Discussants: Ilya Utekhin, Olga Sezneva (EUSPb)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00- 14:05 Opening remarks on the afternoon session, Diana West (EUSPb)
14:05-15:00 Lecture by Steven Pemberton (CWI, Amsterdam) “The Usable City”
15:00-15:15 Coffee break
15:15-17:00 Panel Discussion: “Safety vs. security in the smart city” Discussants: Dmitriy Sanatov (Center for Strategic Developments), Oksana Zhironkina (Context club)
17:00-17:15 Coffee break
17:15-19:00 Final roundtable discussion. Discussants: Mikhail Klimovskiy (ITMO), Olga Sezneva (EUSPb)
Video recordings:
- Molly Wright Steenson Smart or Smart-Ass? A Brief History of Smart
- Antonio Furgiuele Notes on the Global Virtual North
- Steven Pemberton The Usable City
