Connecticut’s City Scan project puts wireless, GPS-equipped, PDAs in the hands of citizens,converts their findings about city needs into GIS databases, and sponsors discussions of policy alternatives. Cities can’t be “planned” from the top down any more. Some cities have powerful information tools that could be turned to the service of civic self-organization. Not every smart mob is a wise mob. But some are.
Comments
@ 07:15
The pictures on the City Scan site are very cool!
We’ll have to see how this can actually help the community, but at least we know that all the graffiti in Hatford will be properly archived on a Web site for later viewing by art critics and anthropologists…
@ 23:05
I like the idea of increasing the communication between citizens and government, particularily local government. These various kinds of technologies should certainly be utilized as another channel for citizens to speak to the government. Perhaps city scan could be widened a bit so that local residents could address other issues as well…
@ 23:06
the jester would like to know if there are any ct smartmobs or ‘flashmobs’
please…indulge me….
-j