International conference & workshop in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (14-17 February 2012)

Our everyday lives are increasingly shaped by digital media technologies, from smart cards and intelligent GPS systems to social media and smartphones. How can we use digital media technologies to make our cities more social, rather than just more hi-tech?

This was the lead question for the international conference and workshop Social Cities of Tomorrow, organised by The Mobile City and Virtueel Platform with the support of ARCAM. The event took place in February 2012 at several locations in Amsterdam and brought together key thinkers and doers working in the fields of new media and urbanism.

Have a look at the background page for an in-depth take on the theme of ‘social cities’. See also our publication Ownership in the Hybrid City in which we explore how urban designers can use digital media for collective urban issues. This urban design approach has inspired the event.

Conference (17 February 2012)

The conference featured keynote speakers Usman Haque, Natalie Jeremijenko and Dan Hill, who spoke for a sold-out house about the promises and challenges in the newly emerging and highly interdisciplinary field of new media and urban design. The keynotes were accompanied by presentations of ‘showcases‘ from various disciplines, such as architecture, art, design, and policy.

Workshop (14 − 16 February 2012)

A preconference workshop was held at ARCAM, Amsterdam for a select, interdisciplinary group of designers, programmers and digital creatives. The aim of this experimental workshop was to bring together local stakeholder organisations, and participants from various professional and national backgrounds to collaborate in real-world social design challenges.

As part of the workshop, Premsela organized a public discussion on the design of Trust.

Video’s, Reports & Press Coverage

Video’s of the presentations are available here. Read the reports of the workshop outcomes, and check out what the bloggers and press have made of our events.

Visit the event website www.socialcitiesoftomorrow.nl.
Read the conference archives on The Mobile City website here.