Data-Driven Processes in Participatory Urbanism: The “Smartness” of Historical Cities

Abstract

Cities have always been arenas wherein social, ethnic and cultural differences lead to social friction. People from various cultures meet in spatial interfaces and this interaction, besides intensifying their awareness of diversity, imposes the integration of existing and newly brought cultural expressions with distinct socio-spatial and historical references. This article reflects on the resilience of smart systems promoted today for user-personalization when interacting with, and in the efficient operation of, city infrastructures. Specifically, the article addresses the capacity of smart digital tools and participatory processes to stimulate city data interpretation, interoperability and sharing processes as another commons of the city. The article foregrounds user-driven co-creation methodologies and information and communications technologies tools that enable adaptive and flexible, cross-cultural, data interpretation by communities that appropriate public spaces. Digital technologies can act as a catalyst for engaging people with their urban environment and cultures, and therefore with urban commons.

Keywords:

• built heritage
• urban commons
• citizen engagement
• co-management
• data analytics
• visualization

Acknowledgements

This article draws mostly from research considerations developed during the European Union’s CyberParks – fostering knowledge about the relationship between information and communication technologies and public spaces supported by strategies to improve their use and attractiveness (COST Action TU 1306: http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/tud/TU1306). Some results and considerations presented draw from research⁶² conducted at the Cyprus Institute led by G. Artopoulos and N. Bakirtzis with C. Wehmeier, in collaboration with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. The authors would like to acknowledge the close collaboration of the research team with the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, in particular the director M. Solomidou-Ieronymidou and archaeological officer P. Christophi, as well as the support of A. Petridou and A. Papadopoulou from the Municipality of Nicosia.

Notes

Notes

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by project Virtual Research Environment for Regional Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Southeast Europe and Eastern Mediterranean VI-SEEM [675121]; C3Places – Using ICT for Co-creation of Inclusive Public Places (www.c3places.eu); European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme [Grant Agreement no. 693443]; FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.

Notes on contributors

Georgios Artopoulos

Georgios Artopoulos works on immersive spaces, virtual environments, modelling and simulation for the study of built heritage and the creative exploration of historical narratives in the context of public open space. Georgos holds an M.Phil. and a Ph.D., University of Cambridge (UK), with a Doctoral Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Previously, he was employed by the University of Cambridge, UK and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His work was presented at La Biennale di Venezia, the Royal Institute of British Architects, London, the London Design Festival, Seoul Biennale of Architecture & Urbanism and many more.

Carlos Smaniotto Costa

Carlos Smaniotto Costa is Professor of Urban Landscape and Ecology at the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning and senior researcher at CeiED, Portugal. Smaniotto is a graduated landscape architect and a Ph.D. holder in urban and environmental planning from the University of Hanover, Germany. He is coordinator of the C3Places Project and was the Chair of the COST Action CyberParks. His research activities reside in the synergistic potential of environment and nature conservation for urban contexts, urban and landscape design and co-creation of public spaces. Smaniotto has several publications in professional journals in Portuguese, English, German and Italian.