The Center for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona has established a prize to recognize and promote “public space that is at once public (open and universally accessible) and urban.” In highlighting the “relational and civic aspects of the typically urban space, it differs from other initiatives that are focused on the figure of the architect, and from awards given for landscape-centred projects.”
A recent discussions on the Technology in the Arts group on Linked In spurred me to explore links to a project called Rebel Cities. It details recent work by a French sociologist building on Henri Lefebvre’s work on “the right to the city,” urban regeneration, and the shaping of social interaction through urban planning.
The topic of the discussion was “Are Virtual Worlds Dying or Evolving?” started by Tessa Kinney-Johnson, COO & Founder of SpotOn3D in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I told her I see virtual worlds evolving into powerful tools dedicated to creative problem-solving, with inputs for citizens to co-dream with local officials about the shaping of their places. The gamification of urban planning makes good sense given the shortening loop between customer feedback and innovation in other spheres of development.
I also see artists lending their skills to the design of virtual model worlds so that people who do not see themselves as “creative” can still be participants rather than spectators in crafting the design and master narratives from which their urban world(s) are constructed. The focus is urban – because the city, with its layers of shared meanings – is psychogeographic realm set apart, a distinct kind of human invention.
These virtual worlds would, in essence, become cognitive maps or “protozones.” That, is urban zones-in-the-making that might exist – and even become fully-realized – in psychogeographic terms first, not by planners, but by people who then hire the planners – who maybe then need to subcontract artists – to make them occur in actual fact.
http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/people/a.evans/psychogeog.html
The situationists dreamed of an urban life in which public spaces were injected with new life, enriched meanings, and unscripted social interactions through participatory play. The group PublicShape is dedicated to Winston Churchill’s notion that “we shape our public spaces, therefore our public spaces shape us.”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Publicshape/297062620349581
Welp, artists, gamers, citizens, planners…we can do that now!
Verge Arts Group 
Thank you Elinor, for the mention! We’re always looking for great feedback from the community.
Its been a rough patch for everyone – business, artist educators and more. I think we’re beginning to understand that this ‘new’ economy isn’t going to revolve back to where we were 2006 and earlier. Its a time of reflection and time to look at permanent changes in how we teach, do business and think of our work places. We should NOT be forcing workers to haul their bodies to what is essentially a human warehouse. To have them sit in front of a computer that is so antiquated that its impossible fore them to finish their task in a timely fashion. That most workers have to sneak their documents home with thumb drives to finish them on time with their better equipped home computers.
Its time to evolve the definition of an employee and recognize there are smarter ways to work without sacrificing important and necessary face-2-face time together.How bad will it have to get for our corporate leaders to recognize the need for change? There are certainly enough incentives and solid reasons abound around us to stop talking about this and actually take the necessary steps to incorporate digital work rooms as a norm.
IF NOT NOW …. WHEN?
I like it when business people think deep thoughts…! THANKS for sharing some of your great work.
Thank you very much to Elinor Hope Slomba for mentioning us!
Publicshape Team
Thrilled to learn of your work!