From over 3300 proposals, ‘Playable City Versus Smart Cities‘ has been chosen to take part in the next SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. Thanks very much to those of you who helped us get there by casting your votes in the panel picker. In March 2014 Watershed’s Clare Reddington and PAN Studio’s Ben Barker will be hosting a core conversation introducing a new movement in designing for cities – one with people & permission to be playful at its core.
All over the world governments & tech companies are investing in smart cities, using networks & sensors to join up services & collect data. But the emphasis is often a drive for efficiency – Are we in danger of rendering our cities as isolated, professionalised places? How instead might we make them more malleable, communal & hospitable?
They’ll also be chatting about Hello Lamp Post by PAN Studio, Tom Armitage and Gyorgyi Galik, the first commission of Watershed’s Playable City Award that launched in Bristol this summer generating massive interest and debate about cities as playable space. They will also be looking ahead to what is next for the Playable City movement and what we might expect from the next award winner.
If you’re planning to be in Austin for the festival, do come and see us. If you can’t be there in person you will be able to keep an eye on us @PlayableCity or for a broader view of what’s going on at the festival have a look at #SXSWi.