16 research outputs found

    Learning in hybrid spaces as a technology-enhanced outdoor learning: Key terms

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    One of the ideas for improving urban green spaces is adding to them a virtual dimension, or - in other words - equipping them with some kind of technological infrastructure. Such spaces, combining a nature with technology, are named in many terms, e.g. outdoor cyber-mediated spaces, technologically enhanced urban green spaces, blended digital/urban green spaces or - what is the most precise - hybrid spaces. Hybrid space is quite innovative solution, because traditionally the natural environment and digital domains are seen as distinctly different. In addition, researchers agree that hybrid spaces offer an attractive learning context. Although little is known about learning in hybrid spaces. This paper defines learning in hybrid spaces as a technology-enhanced outdoor learning and discusses contextual key terms as technology-enhanced learning and outdoor learning, and also technological requirements for technology-enhanced outdoor learning, selected technologies of technology-enhanced outdoor learning such as personal digital assistant, e-library, quick response codes, Kinect-laptop-integrated system, geographic positioning system, digital textbooks, cloud computing; and finally design guidelines for technology-enhanced outdoor learning. This can be useful for anyone interested in educational use of hybrid spaces

    CyberParks: The interface between people, places and technology

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    This open access book is about public open spaces, about people, and about the relationship between them and the role of technology in this relationship. It is about different approaches, methods, empirical studies, and concerns about a phenomenon that is increasingly being in the centre of sciences and strategies – the penetration of digital technologies in the urban space. As the main outcome of the CyberParks Project, this book aims at fostering the understanding about the current and future interactions of the nexus people, public spaces and technology. It addresses a wide range of challenges and multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging phenomena related to the penetration of technology in people’s lifestyles - affecting therefore the whole society, and with this, the production and use of public spaces. Cyberparks coined the term cyberpark to describe the mediated public space, that emerging type of urban spaces where nature and cybertechnologies blend together to generate hybrid experiences and enhance quality of life

    Citizen empowerment and innovation in the data-rich city

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    This book analyzes the ongoing transformation in the “smart city” paradigm and explores the possibilities that technological innovations offer for the effective involvement of ordinary citizens in collective knowledge production and decision-making processes within the context of urban planning and management. To so, it pursues an interdisciplinary approach, with contributions from a range of experts including city managers, public policy makers, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists, and researchers. The first two parts of the book focus on the generation and use of data by citizens, with or without institutional support, and the professional management of data in city governance, highlighting the social connectivity and livability aspects essential to vibrant and healthy urban environments. In turn, the third part presents inspiring case studies that illustrate how data-driven solutions can empower people and improve urban environments, including enhanced sustainability. The book will appeal to all those who are interested in the required transformation in the planning, management, and operations of data-rich cities and the ways in which such cities can employ the latest technologies to use data efficiently, promoting data access, data sharing, and interoperability

    Open public spaces for healthier cities

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    Public spaces represent essential elements of healthy, functional, eco and smart cities. Being attractive, safe, comfortable, active and inclusive they play the main role in revitalizing communities, supporting their sense of identity and culture and triggering their economic development. The process of globalization, facilitated by the increasing number of ICT networks, imposes a number of new trends which should be followed by professionals. Their aim is to provide an updated setting for public life, which nowadays encompasses both private and public realms, material and virtual reality. Unfortunately, the contemporary lifestyle has caused numerous mental and physical health problems, including chronic diseases, toxic exposure and injuries resulting from uncontrolled violence. Therefore, well-conceived and managed public spaces can influence the health of citizens because their performances could encourage an intensive use of outdoor facilities. Public spaces where users feel safe to play and relax can relieve stress, especially when people live in multi-family apartments or in crowded parts of a city. Considering all these trends and demands, the role of ICT becomes more important in the process of design and use of public spaces. This paper will present and analyse the connection which is established and intensified between users and open spaces via information networks. The emphasis will be on two main groups of applications aiming at (1) citizen participation (e.g. ‘crowdsourcing’ or ‘participatory sensing’ applications related to mapping and monitoring of pollution, health risks and patterns) or (2) individuals' health consciousness (e.g. applications enabling surveillance of urban spaces and personal life habits)

    From the Sum of Near-Zero Energy Buildings to the Whole of a Near-Zero Energy Housing Settlement: The Role of Communal Spaces in Performance-Driven Design

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    Almost a century ago Modernism challenged the structure of the city and reshaped its physical space in order to, amongst other things, accommodate new transportation infrastructure and road networks proclaiming the,nowadays much-debated ‘scientificated’ pursuit of efficiency for the city. This transformation has had a great impact on the way humans still design, move in, occupy and experience the city. Today major cities in Europe, such as Paris and London, are considering banning vehicles from their historic centers. In parallel, significant effort is currently underway internationally by designers, architects, and engineers to integrate innovative technologies and sophisticated solutions for energy production, management, and storage, as well as for efficient energy consumption, into the architecture of buildings. In general, this effort seeks for new technologies and design methods (e.g., DesignBuilder with EnergyPlus simulation engine; Rhicoceros3D with Grasshopper plugin and Ecotect, Radiance and EnergyPlus tools) that would enable a holistic approach to the spatial design of Near-Zero Energy buildings, so that their ecological benefits are an added value to the architectural design and a building’s visual, and material, impact on its surrounding space. The paper inquires how the integration of such technological infrastructure and performance-orientated interfaces changes yet again the structure and form of cities, and to what extent it safeguards social rights and enables equal access to common resources. Drawing from preliminary results and initial considerations of ongoing research that involve the construction of four innovative NZE settlements across Europe, in the context of the EU-funded ZERO-PLUS project, this paper discusses the integration of novel infrastructure in communal spaces of these settlements. In doing so, it contributes to the debate about smart communities and their role in the sustainable management of housing developments and settlements that are designed and developed with the concept of smart territories

    Data and the city – accessibility and openness. a cybersalon paper on open data

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    This paper showcases examples of bottom–up open data and smart city applications and identifies lessons for future such efforts. Examples include Changify, a neighbourhood-based platform for residents, businesses, and companies; Open Sensors, which provides APIs to help businesses, startups, and individuals develop applications for the Internet of Things; and Cybersalon’s Hackney Treasures. a location-based mobile app that uses Wikipedia entries geolocated in Hackney borough to map notable local residents. Other experiments with sensors and open data by Cybersalon members include Ilze Black and Nanda Khaorapapong's The Breather, a "breathing" balloon that uses high-end, sophisticated sensors to make air quality visible; and James Moulding's AirPublic, which measures pollution levels. Based on Cybersalon's experience to date, getting data to the people is difficult, circuitous, and slow, requiring an intricate process of leadership, public relations, and perseverance. Although there are myriad tools and initiatives, there is no one solution for the actual transfer of that data

    Conciliating traffic with liveability within an urban sound planning context

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