Monday 25 April 2005

Social Computing Symposium - urban/social

I'm at the Social Computing Symposium today, and absorbing thoughts faster than I can write them.
One theme that recurs is the analogy between urban architecture and social software.

When I read Jane Jacobs' Death and Life of Great American Cities, I kept getting recognition flashes for things that make online communities work too - the need for 'public characters'; how high foot traffic streets are safer than open parkland; how places used for multiple purposes are richer than distinct purpose-designed zones.

Lilia Efimova has written on this, combined them in and points me towards Life Between Buildings.

Molly Steenson is giving up online communities to study architecture.
Genevieve Bell has found very different urban/rural patterns of technology use in asia - Weinberger summarizes.

Eric Paulos has been experimenting with found art, dropped postcards and interactive dustbins.
The conference tag is

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