Urban Robotics and Responsible Urban Innovation

Robots are leaving factories and entering urban spaces. In this paper, I will explore how we can integrate robots of various types into the urban landscape. I will distinguish between two perspectives: (1) the responsible design and use of urban robots and (2) robots as part of responsible urban innovations. The first viewpoint considers issues arising from the use of a robot in an urban environment. To develop a substantive understanding of Responsible Urban Robotics, we need to focus on normative implications of city life as the context in which in robots are being used. I will refer to the desirable qualities of city life as „cityness“ and will argue that we should design for cityness. The second approach asks how robots might be used to address challenges specific to cities. From the perspective of RRI, this may require participatory approaches in which the needs of the stakeholders are addressed. But we may also find inspiration in the work undertaken in architecture on expanding the concept and field to ensure that architects not only provide services to the lucky few but also create useful and beautiful spaces for the many. A dialogue with architects, urban designers, and urban planners may also be needed to successfully address the spatial issues raised by the presence of robots in the city

Urban Resilience and Distributive Justice

There is a growing awareness of the (potential) tensions be-tween urban resilience and justice. This paper provides a systematic account of justice issues in the context of urban resilience to natural disasters. On the one hand, I will demonstrate that the underlying understanding of resilience – as bouncing back/forward – shapes our understanding of the interplay between justice and resilience. On the other hand, I will argue that we should not only avoid unjust outcomes in the process of building resilience but also consider resilience engineering as a way of promoting urban justice

Airport Terminal Security Screenings

Security screenings at airport terminals are an important and visible part of aviation security. This entry examines the screenings that passengers undergo—similar measures are taken for the screening of the aircraft personnel and other members of the airport workforce. This entry looks into the spatial setups, technologies, and social relations that define the screening checkpoint and that have more recently rendered airport security as one of the most controversial issues in global travel. First, the checkpoint itself and its role in the architectural design of the (prototypical) airport are described. Then some of the numerous policy regulations and technologies that are usually in place for the sake of security screenings are discussed

Hidden in plain sight: Conceptual and Regulatory Challenges

A recent off-spring of ‘privacy by design’ are artefacts and gadgets that aim to protect the privacy of the users. An example is the work of Adam Harvey, who ‘explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face-detection technology’ (http://cvdazzle.com/). In this contribution, the author explores the differences using camouflage and masks as two distinctive tactics, which aim to restore aspects of anonymity provided by becoming part of the crowd. Current technological developments on biometrics-from-a-distance (e.g. face recognition system) aim to re-identify the single individual and therefore undermine an important aspect of urban anonymity, which has traditionally been perceived as a condition of the liberal urban life-style. While Adam Harvey’s works are inspired by World War I naval camouflage design, his works lean towards the use of the mask in revolutionary movements such as the Zapatistas or by members of Anonymous. Such Masks need be considered as ‘inter-faces’ in the literal meaning of the word, which, in contrast to the idea of camouflage, allow the users to be visible and present, while protecting the identity of the user