In the School we\u2019re developing new ideas about future forms of citizen participation in the built environment.<\/p>\n
This theme is associated with the concept of \u2018digital civics\u2019 coined at Newcastle\u2019s OpenLab<\/a>. In conjunction with OpenLab and other departments around the University, the School is actively exploring the consequences of digital technologies for the built environment<\/strong>. One goal is to find forms of more relational citizen participation whereby the public sector moves from one of delivery of services to commissioning services.<\/p>\n But what is digital civics?<\/strong> How did it come to be? What are its drivers? \u00a0 As a new area, nuanced answers are yet to be found. Projects so far involve a diverse number of motivations, such as overcoming the distance of \u2018big data\u2019 to everyday life, addressing collective ownership of data and urban infrastructure. Perhaps most importantly, digital civics addresses the rise of \u2018issue-based\u2019 civics<\/strong>, for example, on social media platforms. Through designing, prototyping, and testing digital interventions directly with end users\u00a0in their everyday lives, digital civics encourages novel interactions between participants and their city.<\/p>\n Projects involving researchers from Newcastle University manifest all of these approaches in different combinations. Successful projects so far include:<\/p>\n Digital civics research is delivered through action and change. Representatives of digital civics have emphasised the importance of long-term partnerships<\/strong> on collaborative projects strongly embedded in local contexts. Some projects focused on bespoke devices for tactile interaction in everyday life. This comes with the idea of \u2018ecosystems of data\u2019 that embed data deep within the everyday. In digital civics projects, problem solving is often approached through technical innovation with modes such as issue-focused civic hackathons. Social entrepreneurship works as a driver to scale projects and agendas beyond single locations.<\/p>\n As part of the ongoing investment in innovation, innovative teaching, and preparation of a new cohort of architecture and planning professionals for the future, the School has set up a digital civics module, an exciting Stage 2\u00a0elective with a \u2018challenge-based\u2019 approach to teaching.<\/p>\n We are looking for external partners<\/strong>\u00a0who would like to work with our students to address a particular challenge (for inspirations see https:\/\/scenarios.organicity.eu\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n Within a safe and set framework, guided by Dr Sebastian Weise<\/a>, students will learn about essential computing technologies and user-centred design approaches and respond to your challenge with propositions of service concepts and technical prototypes.<\/p>\n For full details please see the digital civics\u00a0call for project proposals<\/a>\u00a0(PDF:\u00a02.54 MB).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dr Sebastian Weise<\/a> is Lecturer in Digital Civics in the School and can be contacted at\u00a0sebastian.weise@ncl.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the School we\u2019re developing new ideas about future forms of citizen participation in the built environment. This theme is associated with the concept of \u2018digital civics\u2019 coined at Newcastle\u2019s OpenLab. In conjunction with OpenLab and other departments around the … Continue reading \n