where each cell, or pixel, takes votes at the push of a button. The application will then render the aggregated layer of likeability in a form that is thoroughly compatible with the wealth of objective information that smart cities already collect. The key difference to other civic engagement apps lies in the idea of collecting data on the back-end of an app that users engage because they believe it delivers a value greater than the collective construction of a likeability layer. In order to encourage continuous input and a dedicated user base, Place Pixel’s interface is designed as an attractive, useable, and rewarding social networking platform that could be used every day to connect to other people and explore the city. Users can see real-time urban conditions around them, from popular places to more ephemeral phenomena such as festivals or demonstrations. Through following thematic pioneers, one can chase street art, dog-friendly places downtown, specialty shopping, or create a follower base oneself. The resulting network of subjective data is tied to real time and real space. Once overlaid with objective data such as weather, air quality, transportation networks, or noise levels, the result will be much more than a representational exercise, although it surely transforms the way we view our cities, too. Planners and designers can explore the complex systems of interactions within the city in entirely new ways, gaining unprecedented insight into what really creates the “good” in a city. Place Pixel has been in development for several months, and the process has drawn on the input of numerous researchers and experts in a variety of fields at the intersection of design, technology, and urbanism. The concept for Place Pixel began as part of the Networked Urbanism studio at the GSD, but quickly gained wider attention. The technical approach was refined through discussions with researchers and student groups at the MIT and the MIT SENSEable City Lab. Contributions from researchers at Northeastern University—experts in the study of
social networks and distributed systems analysis—helped to identify some of the shortcomings in other contemporary attempts to generate, collect, and map subjective information. Place Pixel was the basis for a winning proposal in an urban design competition at ABX2013, New England’s largest architecture and building-industry conference. With requests to pilot the application from the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics in both Boston and Philadelphia, as well as a network of support from researchers at some of North America’s premier academic institutions, Place Pixel has the potential to play a promising role in our evolving methods of studying, visualizing, and experiencing the urban environment. In 2014 Place Pixel has undergone further development through several competitions and collaborative efforts at the Harvard Innovation Lab, including the 2013 Harvard President’s Challenge for innovative approaches to efficient governance, and has become a startup company.
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“A social variation on the smart city must incorporate the systematic collection and analysis of subjective impressions and emotive responses to the built environment.”