Rae Matthews – Smart Cities & Shared Streets

Barcelona’s fabrication laboratory is a well-connected workshop with partner labs all over the world. Their collective goal is to provide people with the opportunity to design, build, and innovate cheaply and efficiently. Apartment inhabitants surrounding the lively Plaza del Sol utilized the lab to produce low-cost noise sensors. The data proving excessive noise that was gathered with these sensors pushed the city council to finally act to protect the inhabitants of the neighborhood. These fabrication labs have far-reaching implications, with the goal of providing diverse technology and knowledge to citizens everywhere. It places the power of design, and the push towards smart cities, firmly in the hands of the people. Alongside fabrication labs, Sensors in a Shoebox was a Detroit-based project which collected data with the assistance of local teenagers. This again gives local people the power to collect their own data, and thus influence their own smart cities.

Leon, Mexico has claimed the label of ‘smart city’ by utilizing a vast network of remote sensors that monitor air quality, noise, mobility, and light levels. The goal is to innovate via a combination of technology and data in order to improve citizens’ lives. Similar projects featuring Urbiotica noise sensors have been approved in other cities as well. The relative ease of this data collection makes it easy for cities to monitor certain parameters. While the mass of data collection has the potential to make city inhabitants safer and more comfortable, it may also imply a loss of privacy by constant monitoring.

In Traverse City, Michigan, the city is experimenting with shared streets to make social distancing easier while also encouraging neighborhood unity. Strategically placed barriers slow down or halt car traffic while opening the street to pedestrians and bikers. This newly shared street aims to keep the community safe while also enhancing their enjoyment of the city. Traverse City’s bold step into the realm of shared streets indicates that the move away from cars has gained significant traction, even in a small, relatively isolated city.

In Sydney, Australia, Bourke St was upgraded to improve the experience of cycling along the route. The focus of the remodel was a protected bi-directional cycling route that was separated from cars and pedestrians, while also focusing on safety at T-intersections. These intersections became “Shared Environment Intersections”, where pedestrians had primary right-of-way and cars and bikes have the same rights. This project enhanced and diversified modes of transport along Bourke St, while not completely crippling cars. Another unique aspect to this project was its focus on behavioral change – cycle training and programs along biking routes promoted a positive view on cycling as well as mentally preparing people for the change in street usage.

While the dense, medieval center of Prague features tight streets that are decidedly not car-friendly, the more modern parts of Prague are pedestrian friendly as well. Despite its name, Wenceslas Square is a boulevard with a large median. The median is utilized by locals as a public gathering space. Trams, cyclists, pedestrians, and slow-moving cars all use the street together. Wenceslas Square has been a site for demonstrations throughout history, allowing Czech people a space to make themselves heard. This shared street is not just for recreation, but functions as a hotspot of public discourse.