A_Washington

Data Dimension:

It’s interesting to see how the same ideas Jane Jacobs talked about in the 1960s—the Davids and Goliaths of urban planning—play out in a modern context where the Goliath is big data. In much the same dynamic, a localized approach seems like it has the potential to understand a place’s real-life dynamics and better engage community needs today.

I would love to know more about the potential applications of the findings in the Los Ojos del Mundo project. What action is suggested in the areas deemed “more introverted,” for example? I can imagine that moniker may make the areas more attractive to some tourists, but locals may cherish that their neighborhood is largely tourist-free. So, does the city start to encourage tourist activities in those areas? What does that mean for the existing communities?

The section about making data accessible started my brain churning about the data hubs we may design in this course. What would be useful to the community? As the authors note, “Making data accessible is not an end in itself.”

Atmosphere InFormed:

On page 12 of the paper there is a note about students appreciating the ability to better represent “systems” in their design work. The specific reference to “systems” totally flipped a switch in my brain in how I’ve been thinking about the data, visualization, and design process we’ve been discussing, and I think I finally made the connection to the potential applicability of this kind of process.

I’d love to know more about how sensors were intended for use at the Hudson House and why they didn’t ultimately work.