Walking the Walled City. Gender and the Dérive as Urban Ethnography

This paper focuses on the possibilities and limitations of the contemporary dérive as a form of ethnography in contemporary Delhi. The dérive, which originated as the Surrealist déambulation and subsequently became the Situationist dérive in the late 1950s, has now been re-imagined by walking artists and practitioners. In seeking to locate the Situationist dérive as an ethnographic practice within (Old) Delhi through Abdelhafid Khatib’s dérive, this paper dwells on the experimental origins of the Situationist dérive and its journey through contemporary pedestrian practices, and asks how walking as a gendered, autoethnographic practice of the city might help narrate and navigate Indian urban spaces

On the Road to Nowhere: Stalled Politics and Urban Infrastructure in Kathmandu

During the period leading up to the passage of the 2015 constitution in Nepal, the roads of Kathmandu were often interpreted by the city’s residents as symbols of the stalled constitutional process and of the faltering and corrupt nature of national politics in general. By detailing specific moments in which the inadequacy of roads and the inadequacy of the state were directly juxtaposed in everyday conversations, this article calls for sustained attention to the interrelationship between urban infrastructure and national- and local-level politics

Hodajući ozidanim gradom. Rod i dérive kao urbana etnografija

This paper focuses on the possibilities and limitations of the contemporary dérive as a form of ethnography in contemporary Delhi. The dérive, which originated as the Surrealist déambulation and subsequently became the Situationist dérive in the late 1950s, has now been re-imagined by walking artists and practitioners. In seeking to locate the Situationist dérive as an ethnographic practice within (Old) Delhi through Abdelhafid Khatib’s dérive, this paper dwells on the experimental origins of the Situationist dérive and its journey through contemporary pedestrian practices, and asks how walking as a gendered, autoethnographic practice of the city might help narrate and navigate Indian urban spaces.Ovaj se rad bavi mogućnostima i ograničenjima suvremenog dérivea kao oblika etnografije u suvremenom Delhiju. Dérive, koji je potekao iz nadrealističkog promišljanja i potom su ga krajem pedesetih godina prošloga stoljeća usvojili situacionisti, danas ponovno osmišljavaju umjetnici i praktičari. Pokušavajući locirati situacionistički dérive kao etnografsku praksu u (Starom) Delhiju pomoću dérivea Abdelhafida Khatiba, u radu se promišljaju eksperimentalni počeci situacionističkog dérivea i njegov put u suvremenim pješačkim praksama te se postavlja pitanje kako hodanje kao rodno određena i autoetnografska praksa grada može pomoći u pripovijedanju i svladavanju indijskih urbanih prostora

Developing a Pedestrian Route Network Service (PRNS)

Route network service is becoming increasingly popular. However, although there are significant amount of route network services there are still limitations especially to pedestrian network services. Pedestrians daily make decision about their navigation choices. Developing a pedestrian route network service (PRNS) involves several factors. During this study the analysis of several routing network services have demonstrated that the geographical data is one of the most important factors in order to develop an own PRNS. Considering the idea of estimation two different datasets for the PRNS were evaluated OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Swedish national road database (NVDB). The use of the OSM dataset for developing the PRNS was made after the comparison between both the dataset. OSM has shown more advantages in terms of completeness of route for pedestrian navigation than NVDB. The OSM dataset was created and stored in the PostGIS database. The implementation of own pedestrian network service is intended to facilitate the developments of new PRNS and analysis and comparison of others existing PRNS. The calculation and collection of the routes to be displayed for the user are performed by extended tools within PostGIS such as pgRouting and PostgreSQL respectively. The dataset’s network topology is related to the distance and determination of route choice by the pedestrian. Thus, Geographical Information System (GIS) is also one fundamental factor used in this study to evaluate and create results. The application was implemented in the city of Lund. One of the limitations developing the PRNS is the lack of documentation for new functions which are released by pgRouting developers. Although OSM provides an essential network for developing the PRNS, some closed residential areas, parks, and open areas are not include on the network limiting the PRNS application. In conclusion the PRNS is a useful application in order to assist pedestrians on their wayfinding in the city of Lund. It is also intended to help further development of new PRNS such as mobile PRNS applications. However, the PRNS must be improved and the dataset network requires updating and expansion for successful operations of the PRNS applications.Navigeringstjänster blir allt mer populära, men även om det finns en betydande mängd tjänster, finns det fortfarande begränsningar, speciellt för fotgängare. Fotgängare gör dagligen flera val om hur de ska hitta den bästa vägen i sin närmiljö. Att utveckla en navigeringstjänst för gående (PRNS) involverar flera viktiga faktorer. I denna studie analyseras flera befintliga nättjänster och studien visar att geografiska data är en av de viktigaste faktorerna för att utveckla egna PRNS. Två olika datamängder för PRNS utvärderades: OpenStreetMap (OSM) och svenska nationella vägdatabasen (NVDB). Efter en första utvärdering av de två datamängderna valdes OSM som visade sig ha flera fördelar för en fotgängares navigering. Implementeringen av en egen navigeringstjänst för gående är avsedd att underlätta utvecklingen av nya PRNS och analysering och jämförelsen av andra befintliga PRNS. pqRouting och PostgreSQL beräknar och samlar in de rutter som ska användas, med hjälp av datamängden som finns i databasen PostGIS. Topologin för nätverket i datamängden är relaterat till avstånden och fotgängaren bestämmer vägvalet. Geografiska informationssystem (GIS) är också en grundläggande faktor som används i den här studien för att analysera resultatet. PRNS implementerades i staden Lund och syftet är att underlätta för fotgängare att navigera i staden. En av begränsningarna vid utvecklandet av PRNS är bristen på dokumentation av vissa nya funktionaliteter i pgRouting. Även om OSM tillhandahåller ett grundläggande nätverk av vägar för utvecklingen av PRNS, så saknas information om vissa bostadsområden, parker och allmänna utrymmen, vilket begränsar PRNS. Sammanfattningsvis så är PRNS ett användbart program för att hjälpa fotgängare att välja väg i staden Lund. Vidare utveckling av PRNS kan exempelvis vara en mobilapplikation. Då måste dock PRNS förbättras och datamängden kräver uppdatering och utveckling för att bli framgångsrik.Internet based applications for finding shortest ways to travel are becoming increasingly popular. However, although there are significant amount of these applications there are still limitations especially for pedestrian. Developing an internet based application service for pedestrian involves several steps. During this study the analysis of several internet based applications service for pedestrian have demonstrated that the geographical data is one of the most important components in order to develop the PRNS. Two different dataset were evaluated OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Swedish national road database (NVDB). The use of the OSM dataset for developing the PRNS was made after the comparison between both the dataset. OSM has shown more advantages in terms of completeness of roads network and ways for pedestrian than NVDB. The OSM dataset was created and stored in a database called PostGIS. The calculation of distances and collection of the shortest ways to be displayed for the user are performed by extended tools and programs within PostGIS such as pgRouting and PostgreSQL respectively. The distance and determination of the shortest ways to walk is based on the structure of the dataset and the user choice. Thus, application such as Geographical Information System (GIS) is also one fundamental component used in this study, for example, to evaluate and create maps for visual analysis. One of the limitations developing the PRNS is the lack of documentation for new functions which are released by developers. Some closed residential areas, parks, and open areas are not included on the network limiting the PRNS application. In conclusion the PRNS is a useful application in order to assist pedestrians on their wayfinding in the city of Lund. It is also intended to help further development of new PRNS such as mobile PRNS applications. However, the PRNS must be improved and the dataset network requires updating and expansion for successful operations of the PRNS applications

Sensory Augmentation for Navigation in Difficult Urban Environments by People With Visual Impairment

Independent mobility in completing such tasks as walking through a town centre is taken for granted by well-bodied individuals. However, for those with a disability such as impairment of vision, mobility and navigation can become challenging tasks not easily undertaken. The barriers to access for blind and partially sighted individuals are increased when familiar navigational cues are removed in difficult urban environments such as Shared Space. The research consisted of investigating methods of navigation employed by people with visual impairment and designing a device to restore confidence to this group so as to lower the barriers of access to such environments. Investigation was carried out through the deployment of a questionnaire; discussions with groups representing blind and partially sighted people; and a site visit to Shared Space environments. Statistical analysis was carried out on the results of the questionnaire to ascertain the navigational habits of blind and partially sighted individuals in different environments. From the analysis and the results of the discussions and site visit it was established that it would be socially acceptable to design a secondary aid to navigation that would complement the primary aids of long cane or guide dog. A concept experiment was carried out to test the idea that knowledge about changes in surface colour could help with navigation. A prototype device that could be used by individuals with visual impairment to increase their confidence when navigating a difficult environment was designed, built and tested. Different programming methods were researched and trialled to effectively use machine vision to provide a solution to analyse video feed from a passive camera and return useful information to a blind or partially sighted user. The device was tested indoors and outdoors and found to be effective at detecting changes in surface colour. Further work is needed to run the software on a more compact platform such as a mobile phone, but initial results show that the concept is viable and that the barriers that present to blind and partially sighted people navigating difficult urban environments can be much reduced through the use of this technology

Eyes-Off Physically Grounded Mobile Interaction

This thesis explores the possibilities, challenges and future scope for eyes-off, physically grounded mobile interaction. We argue that for interactions with digital content in physical spaces, our focus should not be constantly and solely on the device we are using, but fused with an experience of the places themselves, and the people who inhabit them. Through the design, development and evaluation of a series ofnovel prototypes we show the benefits of a more eyes-off mobile interaction style.Consequently, we are able to outline several important design recommendations for future devices in this area.The four key contributing chapters of this thesis each investigate separate elements within this design space. We begin by evaluating the need for screen-primary feedback during content discovery, showing how a more exploratory experience can be supported via a less-visual interaction style. We then demonstrate how tactilefeedback can improve the experience and the accuracy of the approach. In our novel tactile hierarchy design we add a further layer of haptic interaction, and show how people can be supported in finding and filtering content types, eyes-off. We then turn to explore interactions that shape the ways people interact with aphysical space. Our novel group and solo navigation prototypes use haptic feedbackfor a new approach to pedestrian navigation. We demonstrate how variations inthis feedback can support exploration, giving users autonomy in their navigationbehaviour, but with an underlying reassurance that they will reach the goal.Our final contributing chapter turns to consider how these advanced interactionsmight be provided for people who do not have the expensive mobile devices that areusually required. We extend an existing telephone-based information service to support remote back-of-device inputs on low-end mobiles. We conclude by establishingthe current boundaries of these techniques, and suggesting where their usage couldlead in the future

The cultural uses of the A-Z London street atlas: navigational performance and the imagining of urban form

For a decade from the late 1990s, the A-Z London street atlas became a recurrent motif within art works and popular media texts. This essay collates and explores these cultural responses to the atlas, to consider what this might reveal about the affective dimensions of ordinary urban way-finding. There were three persistent motifs that ran through these diverse works: a basic fascination with the destruction of the atlas, the foregrounding of a stoic or heroic pedestrian figure, and the attachment of the atlas to a projected network of mobile individuals that connected on the streets at random times and places. An interrogation of these tropes reveals how the A-Z became a means to explore the terms of an expanded pedestrian experience, as well as a possible configuration of metropolitan movement and contact. Furthermore, the popularity of these texts points to an excess of affect that might have become embedded within acts of A-Z way-finding. Using, owning or being seen with the atlas briefly became a potential mechanism for imagining one’s contribution to a mobile metropolitan community. Hence, this essay is both a focussed exploration of street-atlas poetics and an attempt to think more deeply about the cultural dynamics of everyday urban navigation

A recommendation for improving the sense of orientation by enhancing visual communication on wayfinding systems: a case study of Minneapolis skyway system

As the world becomes more complex and the population more mobile, people increasingly rely on wayfinding systems. The task for graphic designers, architects and other professionals who participate in building planning, is to design a sufficient and clear wayfinding system that will direct people in and out of the building, around the building, and to their destination effectively, comfortably, and confidently, without wasting any time or energy. The lack of orientation in an unfamiliar environment can lead to physical exhaustion, stress, anxiety, and frustration, all threaten their sense of well-being and limit one\u27s mobility. This study focuses on wayfinding challenges in the Minneapolis skyway system in Minnesota, a pedestrian skywalk system that currently connects various buildings in Downtown Minneapolis. Wayfinding and visual communication criteria used in evaluating the skyway were adopted from previous studies or concepts from wayfinding professionals. As would happen with any tunnel-based skywalk, one of the major wayfinding problems of this complex skyway system is that it lacks a sense of orientation. Many people, especially first time visitors, get lost without having any knowledge of where they are within the skyway system.;After studying this problem, design solutions were developed to improve existing wayfinding conditions of the Minneapolis skyway by enhancing the sense of orientation rather than relying only on signage-based solutions as a wayfinding aid. The design recommendations adopt Kevin Lynch\u27s elements of districts and landmarks, two of his five important elements necessary in forming mental maps as navigational aids to enhance wayfinding performance. These elements increase a person\u27s ability to see and remember patterns of an environmental space by creating one\u27s own mental map