Media Architecture Biennale offers perspective: In the city of the future, people and their relationship to the surroundings are at the centre

You throw a piece of paper in the waste bin and the local waste management authority receives a signal that the bin is full; you walk down the street in the dark and the sensor-sensitive lamppost switches on; Google Maps recommends an alternative route to reach your final destination more quickly. These are all examples of how our lives in the ‘smart city’ are becoming increasingly efficient and convenient. But there is a dark side to this story. Because who has the most to gain from these technological developments? Is it the citizen? Is it companies? Is it the municipality? And what kind of cities do we actually want?

Utrecht University recently published an interview with prof. Nanna Verhoeff and Dr. Michiel de Lange. For the whole interview, please visit this link.