Weekly Roundup 119 – 3rd to 9th June

FEATURE REPORT/ ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

‘Detroit Imagines a citizen-led Smart City’
Authored by Amy Crawford

With the idea of Smart Cities gaining currency, there are multiple criticisms that are being raised against the predominantly technocratic approach followed in building a smart city. One of the major concerns leveled against ‘smart’-ness in a city is the deployment of technology that can double as surveillance measures given the data output from these sources. This article discusses an experiment set-up in the city of Detroit that has come up with an innovative solution of “Sensors in a shoebox” wherein the control of this data is placed in the hands of vulnerable communities. Given India’s fast approach in the direction of smart cities, one might consider tweaking such ideas to suit the Indian set-up replete with power struggles and hierarchical structures.

Read the whole piece here.

Published by Citylab.



ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE WEEK

‘Urban India 2011: Evidence’
Published by Indian Institute of Human Settlements

Urbanization is an increasing trend in India. This publication considers the data provided by the 2011 Census to understand the status of  the urbanization process across the country. With specific sections on the demographic dividend, spatial patterns, social transformations and economic mobility, the report presents a holistic snapshot of urban India.

Read the publication here.

VIDEO/PODCAST OF THE WEEK

‘A Song of the City : Jaime Lerner’
Created by TED Talks

“Every city has to have it’s own co-responsibility and design” argues Lerner in this fantastic talk on the importance of design to creating a sustainable city. Taking inspiration from your own life can help infuse your creativity into your city planning according to the speaker at his humorous best – he signs off by making the audience sing along to his sustainable song.