Building civic design capabilities for urban platforms: Civic Square, Helpful Places & STORYBOX Places

Keywords: platform urbanism, smart cities, civic spaces, citizenship, citizenship
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Against a backdrop of proliferating and commercially-extractive smart city platforms, new public interest platforms are emerging with a focus on building improved citizen engagement models to shape public space underpinned by novel business models. Elevating the importance of citizen-centric values to the functionality of digital platforms operating in public spaces, these initiatives deliver digital tools, insights, standards, protections and experiences in ways that seek to rescript how data-driven interactions shape citizen behaviours and knowledge.

This presentation discusses the emergence of this platform model through the lens of civic design, which incorporates an emerging set of capabilities linking citizen and public interest outcomes with the design and engagement opportunities afforded by contemporary platform technologies. The domain and capabilities of civic design for urban platforms in public spaces are discussed through three example case studies: Civic Square, an initiative of UK Dark Matter Labs, Helpful Places, a mission-driven start up, and STORYBOX, by Studio ESEM.

In reviewing these programs, my presentation reflects on how the concept of citizenship and urban civics is being translated into specific digital design sensibilities and practices. These civic design methods include the creation of novel data use standards centred around citizen reporting, the creation of alternate scales and temporalities for time-based digital interactions, and attention towards the civic accountabilities of place-based AI agents.