The street as platform
by moose
The way the street feels may soon be defined by what cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Fascinating (and extensive) essay by Dan Hill about how the Information flow transforms the street and calls for a new way of mapping and representing the street, maybe a new signage concept for this intangible flow running in, under, above and across the street. Pause a minute and think of all the information exchange going on in a street: wifi networks, bluetooth-enabled phones, GPS units, centrally-controlled traffic lights and so on. It really reads like a Gibson novel, especially if you consider the geotagging art-performances described in his latest book, Spook Country. Inspiring and a bit frightening at the same time. The author also raises the important issue of ownership of these information networks: should the public space be enabled by public or private operators?
Print it and read it, it is worth it.
(Via William Gibson’s blog.)
