1.2 Reading Renee Relf
“A human-scaled GIS: measuring and visualizing social interaction in Barcelona’s Superilles” is an in depth evaluation of measuring social interaction and more in urban spaces using mobile technology and parametric software, applied to two of Barcelona’s pedestrian based superilles.
One of the topics that caught my attention in “A human-scaled GIS: measuring and visualizing social interaction in Barcelona’s Superilles” was the topic of sensory engagement. I found it quite interesting to read about the data collected, and the idea of sensory invitation. When reading this, I realized that I am 100% drawn to spaces, public spaces that is, that are visually engaging especially when it comes to vegetation and seating arrangements. I enjoyed the thorough exploration of how tree species and tree height also have an impact on public spaces.
It was also interesting to compare the Superilles to Gracia Plazas, specifically when it came down to infrastructure. Gracia sets a high standard for walkability and bikeability, while the plazas thrive with life. Not only is there also free wifi, but people of all ages are able to enjoy the plazas which means it is extremely accessible. For the comparison against the Carrer de Enric de Granados, it was noted that the street is practically famous for outdoor restaurant seating! There were plenty of different types of transit as well, traditional and non traditional. I find this interesting because in the US there seems to be a high percentage of personal car usage versus public transit unless you’re in a place like NYC.
Lastly, the exploration of small scale GIS systems also seemed very intriguing. I have always thought of GIS as these huge tools that people would lug around and sit aorund all day to study the data. The way that the data was collected seemed efficient and clear, making small scall GIS systems feel more accessible especially for students. (Not sure if my preconceived notions of GIS are true, but in my landscape class it seemed to be hectic and an entire day excursion) It will be interesting to see how we as a class end up using the small scale GIS systems to gather data in a way that we never have before, and hopefully apply it the same way as Professor Speranza did with the graphics and detailed analyzation.