An Introduction to The Digital Image of the

City

The Digital Image of the City Digital& Computational Studies Initiative

Bowdoin College Jack Gieseking

How can we see the future from the past? !!

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1960

The Image of the City

How can we see the future in the present? !!

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2014

smartmagit.it 2014

Songdo

museumofthecity.com 2011

Operation Center Rio de Janeiro

citylab.com 2013

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Smart City Apps

New York City

aljazeera.com 2014

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Portland, Maine

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DIOTC

At this moment in the technological revolution and intensified urbanization, you will learn the core concepts of urbanization and cutting-edge approaches to smart urbanism in order to think critically and act as educated citizens to produce cities for the common good.

A smart city though, like a class, is made up of people.

Who are these educated citizens? i.e.,

time for introductions

Syllabus Review: !

Learning Outcomes !

Structure of the Course

Syllabus Review: !

Assignments / Social Science Research 101

DIOTC Research Question

What are the best ways forward for Portland, Maine, to join the smart city revolution while developing as a city for the common good?

Research Groups !

•Housing - gentrification, public housing, smart buildings •Infrastructure - ICT, public wifi, transportation •Public Space - access, design, use

Smart cities are so new that there is little literature on them. !

Instead, how can we see the future of the cities nearby from the leading cities at a distance?

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Comparative urbanisms: NYC & Portland

DIOTC Literature Debacle

Literature & Research Sites

1. Café ethnography 2. Collect 4 mental maps from Portland residents 3. Conduct a transect walk with a peer while focusing

on your research topic

DIOTC Research Model

4. Geocode & use this data and other datasets to create maps using GIS

What is your mental map of Portland? !

Take five minutes and draw one.

Research Example

DIOTC Research Contributions

•Ideas for smart urbanist next steps around issues of housing, infrastructure, and public space

•Creation of new datasets for the City of Portland and for other students to build upon

•Develop the literature on Portland, Maine

•Extend smart city thinking on small cities

•Collect data from the public to shape the future of a city

•Further relationship between the City and the College

http://courses.bowdoin.edu/digital-computational-studies-2430-fall-2014/

Reading and video for Wednesday: Hayden, Townsend

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Assignments: Blog Post #1 due Friday, Sept. 12th

(day before field trip)

DIOTC FORTHCOMING