The Decline of Virtual Reality and the Rise of Augmented Reality - A digital Reshape of Public Spaces

The development of virtual reality over the last century supported a slow shift of activities from the public space towards the private one. However, virtual reality offers incomplete sensations and less face to face social interactions, which reinforces the need for public spaces. Augmented reality is an emerging technology able to better connect the two realms: the virtual and physical reality. This article aims to briefly explain the shift from virtual reality towards augmented reality and the effects of this process on the public space. The focus will be on the ways that augmented reality can improve the attractiveness of contemporary public spaces by strengthening its essential features, such as: access to information, playfulness and adaptability. In order to be competitive and attractive public spaces have to evolve and adapt to the new trends, of which ICT is one of the most significant

Social implications of new mediated spaces: The need for a rethought design approach

Departing from the traditional understanding of the social implications of urban design and the underlying notion of ‘place’, the chapter first questions its current relevance vis-à-vis the mediated city. It examines whether ICT has given rise to the establishment of new notions of space and place, identifying new design challenges for cities and rethought approaches to the production of space. In view of the latter, the chapter subsequently questions the manner with which digital media may facilitate inclusive design of public spaces. In order to address this objective, the chapter illustrates some interesting empirical data emanating from literature and research projects based in the UK, Poland and Malta. The case studies in the literature illustrate how ICTs are being used as tools within participatory processes for the inclusive design of urban public and recreational spaces and in order to gauge citizen/user expectations towards urban space. The chapter finally attempts to redefine public participation through ICT and to frame the above discussion within the potentially newly redefined role of urban designers involved in such processes. The underlying question to be addressed in this chapter, therefore, has to deal with the manner with which urban professionals may effectively achieve inclusive participatory design, particularly in light of new phenomena brought about by the mediated city and with the potential of this newly obtained and enriched data

ICTS as a tool to increase the attractiveness of public spaces / IKT kaip viešųjų erdvių patrauklumo didinimo priemonė

Nowadays, ICTs is one of the major factors influencing urban development. Consequently, public spaces – an important urban subsystem – are shaped by interaction with the new technologies. This paper aims to present the ways, in which different ICT tools can increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of public spaces, in opposition to several approaches stating that technologies can only encourage segregation of individuals. The article is focused on possibilities to open the public realm for functions and activities that are usually regarded as private. The major roles that ICTs can play in the public space are: education, information, art and entertainment. Based on this classification various examples and proposals of ICTs interventions in public spaces are presented and analysed, including the Zaragoza’s Digital Mile, the Cloud at Athens and the concept of Flux Space. The specificity of this paper rests on a constant parallel drawn between the interventions around the globe and Romania, aiming to highlight the potential for competitiveness of Romanian public spaces, as a result of using various ICTs tools. Santrauka Pastaruoju metu IKT (informacijos ir komunikavimo technologijos) yra vienas pagrindinių miestų vystymui įtaką darančių veiksnių. Todėl viešosios erdvės – svarbus miestų posistemis – formuojamos veikiant naujosioms technologijoms. Šiame straipsnyje siekiama pristatyti būdus, kaip įvairiomis IKT priemonėmis pakelti viešųjų erdvių patrauklumą ir konkurencingumą, prieštaraujant požiūriams, teigiantiems, kad naujosios technologijos skatina žmonių atsiskyrimą. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas galimybėms atverti į viešumą veiklas, įprastai laikomas privačiomis. Viešosiose erdvėse IKT priemonės daugiausia galėtų būti išnaudojamos lavinimui, informavimui, meninei veiklai ir pramogoms. Remiantis šiuo skirstymu analizuojami ir pristatomi įvairūs IKT naudojimo viešosiose erdvėse pavyzdžiai ir siūlymai: „Skaitmeninė mylia“ Saragosoje, „Debesys“ Atėnuose, „Flux erdvė“ ir kiti. Straipsnyje nuolat lyginamas patyrimas Rumunijoje ir patyrimas pasauliniu mastu, siekiant pabrėžti viešųjų erdvių Rumunijoje konkurencingumo potencialą, naudojant įvairias IKT priemones. Raktiniai žodžiai: viešosios erdvės; IKT (informacijos ir komunikavimo technologijos); skaitmeniniai įrankiai; sąveik

State of the European Territory: ESPON contribution to the debate on Cohesion Policy post 2020

Urban DesignSpatial Planning and Strateg