25 Questions for Digital Cities:
Reflections from one year of our interactive urban installation.
This article was written by Zung Nguyen Vu and Camilla Andersen.
Throughout 2019, Arup, in partnership with Interactive Spaces Urban Studio (ISUS), has exhibited an interactive urban installation titled “25 questions for cities” across different cities. The installation is a set of 25 digital cones, each cone a polling station on a polarising topic on digital technology in cities:
- Do you trust algorithms more than planning councils to grant building permits?
- Should cities impose speed limits on electric scooters?
- Should data collected from public WiFi always be owned by a public authority?
The project was initiated to gage public opinions on urban technology adoption. Since the 1960s, the concept of “smart cities”, referring to the use of digital technology and data in all aspects of city functions, has gained traction around the world. Many technology companies in conjunction with cities are developing and scaling digital applications across a number of use cases: mobility, transportation, construction, urban planning, public health and safety, public education, etc. While technology can potentially help address many of the challenges cities face, it also opens up new challenges that will affect all citizens for years to come. We believe that cities belong to people — and that citizens should have input into how technology is considered in their spaces.
The installation invites public audiences to engage in a heated discussion and share viewpoints in a public space. The cones have built-in sensors, enabling us to capture the polling results anonymously, comparing the collective opinions in different locations. In 2019, the installation travelled to three locations: Linz Austria (for Ars Electronica Festival), London UK (for Open City Symposium) and Copenhagen Denmark (for Prix BLOXHUB Interactive symposium). More than 2,500 people in total have interacted with this version of the project.
Simply comparing the data across Copenhagen and Peckham we begin to see interesting results:
Shared belief: All homes should be required to have a smart meter to monitor electricity usage
- 87% support in Copenhagen
- 100% support in Peckham
Strong support in both cities indicates a shared belief in the importance of limiting energy usage in buildings and the potential role digital technology can play in building good behaviour and monitoring use. This support may be linked to a growing global narrative on climate urgency and energy use.
Shared disbelief: Algorithms should be trusted more than planning councils to grant building permits
- 36% support in Linz
- 33% support in Copenhagen
- 27% support in Peckham
In all three locations, people indicated a hesitation to support a policy where algorithms, rather than human experts, grant planning permission. This indicates an enduring belief than planning is inherently a complex, social, sensitive matter that cannot be automated. It may suggest that people in all locations view planning inherently as a process of negotiation, rather than as a set of formal rules.
Shared confusion: Public spaces should prioritise free wifi above benches
- 53% support in Copenhagen
- 45% support in Peckham
From our data, it seems that both Copenhagen and London participants are divided over this topic, with answers near the 50–50 line in both cities. This may be a symptom of a larger ongoing debate around the role of the modern public realm and what responsibility local government has in providing amenities; i.e. Is wifi considered a human right?
Divergence: Holiday flat-rentals should be banned to protect the hotel industry
- 20% support in Copenhagen
- 70% support in Peckham
This question saw the most divergent answers from our respondents. Those in London were more likely to support an all-out ban of flat rentals, which may be due to support for the hotel industry (as the question suggests), or more likely, due to the acute pressure of housing shortage felt in the UK’s capital city.
These are still early findings representing a small sample, and the data is insufficient to draw hard policy conclusions from. But we can already start to raise interesting questions on how norms around digital technology will continue to shape around the world, and how policy might need to be customised to different local contexts. Our small experiment proves how important it is to build in localised community understanding and engagement in each and every digital urban decision — rather than making blanket assumptions about what the public wants.
The installation is customisable to different events by changing the set of questions used. In addition to the examples above, our Copenhagen office has partnered with the Ellen MacArthur foundation to develop a set of questions specifically around climate change & sustainability, using the installation to engage more than 2000 public participants outside Copenhagen City Hall for the C40 Mayors Summit. We hope this installation can continue to travel to different cities to engage with a wider audience and build out a rich understanding of public perception of urban technology over space and time.
What important questions do you want to see discussed in public space, in your city?
For more info:
More information on the 25 questions and installation format can be found at https://www.25questions.city/. Please get in touch if you are interested in bringing the installation to a city or event near you! We’re also happy to customise the questions included in the installation to a specific project or context. Please email 25questions@arup.com for more information.
