Since cities emerged 10,000 years ago, they have become one of the most
impressive artifacts of humanity. But their evolution has been anything
but linear - cities have gone through moments of radical change, turning
points that redefine their very essence. In this book a renowned
architect and urban planner who studies the intersection of cities and
technology argues that we are in such a moment. The authors explain some
of the forces behind urban change and offer new visions of the many
possibilities for tomorrow's city.
Pervasive digital systems that layer our cities are transforming urban
life. The authors provide a front-row seat to this change. Their work at
the MIT Senseable City Laboratory allows experimentation and
implementation of a variety of urban initiatives and concepts, from
assistive condition-monitoring bicycles to trash with embedded tracking
sensors, from mobility to energy, from participation to production. They
call for a new approach to envisioning cities: futurecraft, a symbiotic
development of urban ideas by designers and the public. With such
participation we can collectively imagine, examine, choose, and shape
the most desirable future of our cities.