Midterm+Presentations+Schedule

"Spatial Googling" is a concept that allows urban typologies, composed of objects, to break from their boundaries of defined space and become embedded in the urban fabric to enhance the individual search of those objects. The act of searching for specific objects has gone from a physical search through eye contact to a now virtual search through the internet using websites such as Google. In both cases, we are in constant search for the object itself. However, Spatial Googling combines the two by being able to input a search query on a smartphone, and as one maneuvers through the city, the object alerts the individual. This concept uses RFID technology and smartphone devices as a strategy for creating an ambient urban computing ecology. || Lauren Matrkalmatrka@gsd.harvard.eduStacy Mortonsmorton@gsd.harvard.eduPeter Zurowestepzurowes@gsd.harvard.edu || In US cities, a pedestrian dies in a traffic incident every 110 minutes; one is injured every 9 minutes. Crosswalk “zebra stripes,” together with traffic-coordinated walk signals, are designed to keep pedestrians safer. But the on-demand wait time for crossing is inefficient, for both pedestrians and vehicles. And audible signals—aiding people who are blind, developmentally disabled, as well as the elderly and small children—not only create noise pollution: They’re not a truly universal design. This project proposes vibro-tactile “responsive crosswalks,” with sensors and actuators embedded within the painted crosswalk stripes. The result is a silent, responsive system that improves the experience and safety of crosswalks for all users, regardless of ability.
 * = **TIME........** || **Project Name+ Description(100 words)** || **Team** ||
 * 1:40-2:00 || ** Spatial Googling **
 * > 2:00-2:20 || **Responsive Crosswalks**

http://www.scribd.com/doc/70672569/ http://youtu.be/hDhxsRZxUQ8 ||> Sara Hendren (MDesS) shendren@gsd.harvard.edu || We seek to apply the lessons of web analytics to the built environment. We envision a ubiquitous sensor network that feeds real-time information to a central database where it will be analyzed and prepared for visualization on the web and other platforms. We are specifically interested in collecting air pollution data and making accurate bicycle and pedestrian counts available to planners, traffic engineers, livable streets activists, and the like. We believe that this information will make significant contributions to the expansion of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure if it is carefully analyzed, usefully visualized, and put at the disposal of decision-makers and citizen-activists.
 * 2:20-2:40 || **Urban Analytics**

http://www.scribd.com/doc/70684831/Presentation http://player.vimeo.com/video/31357671 || Krista Palenkpalen@gsd.harvard.eduJustin Brandonjrbrandon@gmail.com || Our life in the city relies on a system of objects; trash cans, mailboxes, or parking meters are not inert objects. They are part of networks, which need to be constantly monitored. Due to the large size of these networks this control is not always exercised appropriately. Therefore, the systems collapse. The Listening City proposes a monitoring system that relies on the citizens’ feedback on urban elements. The project proposes the addition of a unique QR code to each element of the urban network. When a citizen finds a malfunctioning element s/he can scan the code and easily access an online form to report the problem to the responsible authority. This bottom-up gathered information can be used by the authority to understand and adjust the system according to the observed patterns. On the other hand, this data can also be used by the citizens to monitor the operation of their city and have a valid source of information to demand changes in the system. || Carolina Sotocsoto@mit.edu || Psychologist Robert Levine states that each city moves at a set average walking speed or every city runs on a particular beat at a given time. According to Physicist Geoffrey West this count of steps per unit time can be an indicator of the objective characteristics of the city. With the context of ‘pace of life’ determined by walking speed of people in the city our project is an attempt to question and challenge these notions of pace. Paced cities is an interactive project which would reveal, mediate and transpose the walking speed of people between two different urban locations.This artifice acts as an interface between people of different urban localities and activates an awareness of the tempo in the two places. Users react to the fast speed of pedestrians in the projection that they want to slow down their counterparts in the other locality. Conversely users might quicken their pace to match the projected video. Ultimately, the project seeks to reveal and affect the pace of life in cities by juxtaposing speeds of pedestrian traffic between two urban contexts, which can compare the periphery and centers of cities or between cities in diverse contexts: Beijing vs. New York, New Delhi vs. Paris, Mexico City vs. Lagos and so on. || Steven Chensychen@gsd.harvard.eduSneha Khullarskhullar@gsd.harvard.edu ||
 * 2:40-3:00 || ** The Listening City **
 * 3:00-3:20 || ** Pacing Cites **
 * 3:20-3:40 || **Spatial Mediator**

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The urban space is organized as spatial cells, which is organizing urban tissues, either a big or a small. Each cell is connected with another one through various interfaces in between their boundaries. We are focusing on the boarder condition. This is existing condition as diverse condition and scale. An Interface in between spatial boundaries is composed of various operators, which are exchanging, sharing, detecting, or cutting off a number of data. These operators would be called “spatial mediators”. The spatial mediators could be compared to electrical switches that if it is connected, specific data would flow into a space, and if not, data would be blocked. The way to compose switches decided the spatial quality. Two space can be harmonized or dis-harmonized by this switched. Spatial mediator can help that each switch works properly. ====== || Hyun Tek Yoon (M.Arch1) hyoon1@gsd.harvard.eduSoo Bum You(M.Arch I) syou@gsd.harvard.eduSookyung Chun (M.Arch 1) schun@gsd.harvard.edu ||
 * 3:40-4:00 || **Information Shelter**

This project is a shelter or relief from the ambient texture of events which characterize the ahistorical nature of this Eternal Present within an urban context. We argue that the method of subverting this ahistorical state is through the formalizing of the Spectacle in the city, as experienced through confronting the lack of hierarchy of information and its quantities. The purpose of this project is to use these technologies which produce the Spectacle for other means; specifically, we are interested in producing an awareness of the inner workings of information through its structure. The form of this proposal will take that of an inhabitable rectangular box with different interior and exterior effects of informational delay and opacity. The use of audio and video projection will be the central technical component. || Paul Cattaneocattaneo@gsd.harvard.eduStephanie Linslin1@gsd.harvard.edu || The internet creates heroes, which eventually manifest themselves outside the medium. A bottom-up, participatory structure is the basis for these hero- creation processes. At the same time heros are purposely being consumed, meaning employed and used in a variety of contexts. The withdrawl of (digital) attention and the practice of censorship may dissolve heroes. //Hero// in our sense of the word is a dynamic status obtained through both, appearance and disappearance in the internet. In several countries, government and authorities censor and monitor internet usage, by employing increasingly sophisticated means of control. Internet users situated in such restrictive conditions invest tremendous efforts to bypass censorship and reveal manipulated content. Grassroots heroes like e.g. Ai Weiwei became well-known because of their posing provocative questions and their criticism on authorities, which subsequently caused their disappearance - both virtually and physically. However, originally the hero is not elevated into its hero-status by employing Western values and criticism within authoritarian regimes (e.g. China, Iran). Rather posing the question, what an individual means to a larger society, especially those societies that are not open and transparent, will reveal why. Our project situates itself in a specific cultural and political context, seeking to: • Creating and consuming heroes • Communicating between different heroes’ provocative questions • Obseving the appearance and disappearance of heroes
 * 4:00-4:20 || ** Delete Machine **


 * [|Hero Machine Video (Midterm)] **
 * [|Hero Machine PPT (Midterm)] **
 * [|Hero Machine PDF (Midterm)] **
 * [|Hero Machine Patent Form (Midterm)] ** || Brad Crane bcrane@gsd.harvard.eduAnne Schmidt aschmidt@gsd.harvard.eduLing Fan lfan@gsd.harvard.edul ||
 * 4:20-4:40 || ** User Generated Infoscape: ** User Generated Strorefront infromation

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Focusing on storefronts as a case study, we propose turning it into an interactive presentation for what’s happening inside the store. The target audience of the interface would be potential customers passing by the storefront. The information is first of all only delivered upon the detection of spectator’s presence, and increase in resolution upon engagement. A mockup of our idea will use computer vision, a hidden camera facing the street from the store front, to track changing pixels in the area being covered, recognize large object passing by the storefront in a pedestrian speed, and present for instance featured products’ information on the glass surface via back projection. After initiation the presentation upgrades itself to a higher resolution upon several different kinds of engagement ===== || Jun Wang jwang2@gsd.harvard.eduBrandon Cuffy, bcuffy@gsd.harvard.edu ||
 * 4:40-5:00 || ** Permitted City ** || Jean Lauerjlauer@gsd.harvard.edu ||
 * 5:00-5:20 || ** Bucky **

As cities increase complexity and density, we are challenged to reinvent spaces for interaction, learning and enjoyment. Bucky interactive playground proposes to increase the performance of existing or useless public space by adding a virtual dimension, as a means to engage citizens in a one-to-one interaction. Bucky creates a playground suitable for every available space and reaches every citizen because it only requires the most simple object -the cube-, and the most intuitive game - block construction-.

[|Introducing Bucky /// Video]

. || Felix Raspallcraspall@gsd.harvard.eduPablo Roqueroprocquero@gsd.harvard.edu || site-specific biometric project
 * 5:20-5:40 || ** Emotional Dynamics **

Project is questioning relation between personal and collective life rhythm inside institution like GSD, and possibilities of visualizing and therapeutically influencing on its rate. Also, project negotiates with possibilities of implementation this idea in urban surrounding. GSR Sensors embedded in handrails inside subway are becoming stress measuring apparatus, part of bio-feedback light therapy embedded inside subway wagons, tracked with GPS. Final outcome of this project should beremapping of public transportation following logic of emotional dynamics rather that everyday pragmatics. || Nikola Bojicnbojic@gsd.harvard.edu || Urban Props for a cybernetic city How can Urban Furniture be retrofitted to activate the public sphere? || Hailong Wuhwu1@gsd.harvard.eduSumona Chakravartyschakrav@gsd.harvard.edu ||
 * 5:40-6:00 || **We Screen**

♫ jwang2@gsd.harvard.e du