On 24 Oct. 2017, I was the moderator of the conference “A City as Smart as its Citizens”, organized by Het Nieuwe Instituut. The event took place as part of the Dutch Design Week/World Design Event in the former Philips NatLab in Eindhoven.

Keynote speakers were Maya Indira Ganesh (Tactical Technology Collective), Usman Haque (Umbrellium), and Drew Hemment (FutureEverything).

Also very cool, my first all-female expert panel, on the topic of smart cities and data no less!

How do we go beyond the “smart city” and build a smart society? The DATAstudio has spent three years studying how citizens and neighbourhoods can benefit from data and technology. The international conference Finale: A City as Smart as Its Citizens will present the project’s findings and results in the Dutch and international contexts. Speakers will include Drew Hemment (FutureEverything), Maya Indira Ganesh (Tactical Technology Collective) and Usman Haque (Umbrellium).

We will also challenge city officials, designers, data specialists, students, researchers and citizens to work together in smaller groups in design sessions. We’ll address two pertinent questions at the conference. First, how can data flows in public space be made more visible and legible so they can become the subject of public discussion and public applications? Second, how can citizens get more input and influence with regard to issues in the city that concern them through access to relevant (and legible and usable) data?

In a concluding talk and discussion, we’ll attempt to sketch a realistic yet ambitious picture of how we might move forward toward a smart society.

The event is moderated by Michiel de Lange (Co.Laborations Expertise Centre, Utrecht University Media & Culture Studies department).