2011 January | InnovCity

Archive for January 2011

Comment on the self-service bicycles in your area!

by Elsa Sidawy | 01.31.11

Utilisacteur and Innov’ in the City are asking readers to participate in a rather particular debate. During the next few weeks, readers are invited to give their opinion on the self-service bicycle networks in their city by posting one or more ideas via Twitter.

iDact makes traveling easier for the visually impaired

Social | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 01.31.11

For the visually impaired, reading pocket-sized plans of the metro can be next to impossible. Almost as trying as navigating labyrinths of tunnels several meters underground. The project iDact utilizes the iPad’s touch screen interface to help the visually impaired prepare their journeys at home, ahead of time.

James Treloar

Innovator

Spokesman campaign Evocities | Sydney

« Sydney residents are invited to move to other regional cities »

Oakland residents will measure pollution rates with their mobiles

Environment | No comments

The Bay Citizen | 01.28.11 | Quick Read

Intel and a californian association have partnered to develop sensors for mobile phones capable of measuring particulate pollutants emitted by cars and industries.

Mérignac launches a platform for reporting on the state of public space

Environment | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 01.26.11

Dirty floors, poor lighting, unkempt gardens … The city of Mérignac launched a new online service offering people the opportunity to report problems encountered in the public sphere, and pinpoint the concerned areas on a map.

“Give a Minute”: a Chicago initiative consults residents citywide

Transportation | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 01.26.11

“What would encourage you to walk, bike or take the CTA (Chicago Transport Authority) more often?” Chicagoans were invited to respond to questions about city services and public life in the Windy City. Buses, subways and public spaces: the campaign was posted in multiple venues to encourage travelers to tackle the thorny issue of improving transport conditions. More broadly, this campaign is an ambitious first attempt to encourage public participation in the United States.

Drum roll for the new generation of laundromats

Social | 5 comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 01.25.11

Garish lights, torn magazines, uncomfortable seats, such is the lackluster picture of conventional laundromats, a place where urbanites try hard not to linger. A few entrepreneurs smelling opportunity, and washing machine and detergent manufacturers concerned about their public image, are opening alternative laundromats where users can do their laundry while sipping tea and reading a book.

Franck Charlet

Innovator

Chief of sales and marketing | aEnergis

« Sensors for trash collection in real time »

Public Poster, the solar and interactive public board

Urbanism | No comments

by Gregory Sant | 01.23.11

Unlike traditional information boards whose paper flyers are haphazardly tacked up, Public Post is a new generation of bulletin board. Beyond the written word, this electronic whiteboard can broadcast images and videos, facilitating the dissemination of information, written and image-based, to readers.

Lose weight or cook buns under a bus shelter

Urbanism | No comments

by Elsa Sidawy | 01.21.11

Experiential marketing is making its way into public transportation. In the Netherlands, people sitting on the bench of a Rotterdam bus shelter immediately see their weight displayed on the inner panel.

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China may be coveting the German system of suspended monorail

Transportation | Abair Heart | Il y a 75 jours et 4 heures

The Babayagas’ house, an alternative to old people’s homes and home care

Social | Janet Bardon | Il y a 90 jours et 6 heures

The Babayagas’ house, an alternative to old people’s homes and home care

Social | Michael Hawley | Il y a 93 jours et 5 heures

China may be coveting the German system of suspended monorail

Transportation | Ted Langs Sr. | Il y a 146 jours et 10 heures

Navigating the past and present with one’s body as the only tool

Education | John | Il y a 242 jours et 11 heures

Smart street furniture in Paris: the winners of the call for projects are finally unveiled

Urbanism | 1 comment

A poetic exhibition looks at the city’s place in comic strips

Culture | No comments

Cultural short breaks on board a 2CV soon in your city?

Tourism | 2 comments

Feedback

For sure if we aim to change our habits, urban areas have to be equipped in such a way the citizen don't feel like constrained in their everyday life.

John F. sur Electric car charging stations: DBT aims 25% of the French market | 1 comment

Web TV

15.07.11 | Urban Music Game’s enhanced ball

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Expert talk

Robert Spizzichino | Partenaires Développement

Greater Geneva: an economic and social project at the heart of innovation

Urbanism | 12.16.11

The Greater Geneva project represents an economic and social challenge for that area spanning France and Switzerland. The aim is to set in motion again a process that will stimulate job creation in the French part and strengthen residential services in the Swiss part. Innovative activities should find their place in that territory.

Jean Haëntjens | Urbatopie

Innovation lies also in the strategy

Social | 09.08.11

Is the proliferation of urban innovations counter-productive? While some cities are experimenting with abandon and with no real apparent logic, others have adopted a long-term strategy to combine innovations to serve a smarter, more sustainable city. Jean Haëntjens returns to this forum to talk about how important it is for cities to approach innovation with consistency and control.

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Zoom in

London’s transport system is transformed into a massive playground

And what happens when a public transport network becomes the scene of gigantic team games? Inspired by the principle of Fun Theory, which suggests that environmentally responsible behavior can be encouraged through attractive infrastructure, Chromaroma invites London Underground users to participate in an eco-citizen turf war.

Blogs review

Pop-Up City , the blog of Jeroen Beekmans

Rotterdam’s Crowd-Funded Pedestrian Bridge

Urbanism | 01.05.12

The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) and Rotterdam-based architecture firm ZUS have launched the project I Make Rotterdam, a spectacular temporary pedestrian bridge between the city’s Central and the North districts that will be financed through crowd-funding.

Quinte & Sens , the blog of Olivier Genevois

In Caracas, mimes ease traffic tension

Education | 11.07.11

Venezuela’s capital Caracas plans to manage its traffic flow in an unusual fashion. In addition to traffic police, 120 mimes dressed up as clowns were sent into the city’s streets. Their role? Curb the risky behavior of pedestrians and drivers, not by force or repression, but through silence.

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Agenda Innov'in The City

May 9 to 11
Energy Cities annual meeting, Guimarães, Portugal.

May 12
International Workshop on Open Data, Nantes, France.

May 12
Stockholm Summit on Service Innovation in Cities, Stockholm, Suède.

Innovative city zoom

Toulouse has tackled issues ranging from urban lighting to public cleanliness with experimental innovation often on a shoestring budget, but the results continue to inspire many other cities in France and worldwide. A portrait of a city embracing urban innovation, helped along by the enthusiastic investigator Alexander Marciel, follows.

InnovCity