urbanos

ABOUT

For my thesis at ITP I created an experimental research and design fiction project that uses the analogy of the computer operating system to re-imagine the “smart city”, carried out through three augmented reality case studies.

A section of my thesis work is included in Shannon Mattern’s book The City is Not a Computer.

You can read more about my research behind and process for each case study at urban-os.info and watch my presentation on the ITP Thesis 2020 Archive.

abstract

As the smart city movement continues to grow, I believe it is imperative to think deeply and critically about their design and underlying architectures, data structures, communication protocols and interfaces - essentially their operating systems. I argue that it is worth questioning some of these systems we accept at “neutral” and think about new computing approaches - ones that foreground equity, environmental sustainability, and maintenance/care - as we integrate more and more technology into the fabric of the physical space we inhabit. This research project consists of three case studies and a user manual. Each case study uses a specific smart city component found in my neighborhood (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn) or NYU’s Brooklyn campus (Downtown Brooklyn) as a way to imagine different parts of a speculative Urban_OS ecosystem. 

The case studies re-think and re-design smart city hardware, interfaces and memory systems using augmented reality. The manual ties these case studies together with design principles that were developed by transposing the original 17 principles from UNIX, one of the most ubiquitous and oldest operating systems. The manual was additionally informed by a wide variety of ongoing interviews with experts in the community, at the New York City government, at IoT companies, and at academic and research institutions. These experimental case studies and manual make up an ongoing topology meant to generate conversation around the ethics, aesthetics, and methods in smart city design and technology. This project challenges designers, city planners, academics and policymakers to ask: if we are embedding computing into our urban landscape, what values are we embedding by doing so?

case studies

Case Study 1: Hardware

In the first case study, I redesign the outer hardware of the LinkNYC wifi kiosks for the average pedestrian. A critique of generative design, this experiment asks how these new design processes impact our embodied experiences with city infrastructure. I combine community input with machine learning tools as well as the Urban_OS design principles. The result is 3D models for future Links that can be viewed on location in AR.

Case Study 2: Interface

In the second case study I re-imagine the Rain Garden (part of NYC’s green infrastructure plan) as an interface for the Rain Garden Stewards and local residents. A critique of the optimization dashboard, this experiment questions what is considered urban intelligence and asks how the location and scale at which data are encountered matters. The final version is an AR app that visualizes on-site the water, plant and air data collected by the Garden Steward volunteers.

Case Study 3: Memory

For the final case study I look at the BigBelly trash bins and develop a standard future IoT device specification for data storage to be used by city agency field workers. A critique of digital transparency in the smart city movement, through this project, I ask what policy implications might come from a framework that aids in understanding the complex social dimensions of objects. The database can be viewed and interacted with in AR on the street.