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Intelligent bump ahead: Crazy pedestrians:: Pedestrian heaven and intelligent-city hell

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Malcolm Gladwell took a ride in a Waymo — controlled by a perfect, calm algorithmic driver. As Gladwell put it, Waymo’s driving was executed “with the unruffled rationality of an engineering major at Stanford university.”

It was a kind of sneak preview of the ideal, intelligent city. Ah, but this goes further.

The roots of those further-reaching implications begin with Gladwell’s interviews with bicyclists, to whom cars are the greatest risk. They say that some drivers drive rationally and give wide berths. But others seem to resent the cyclists’ presence and seem to use their cars for personal expression. Forget art, journals, or lawn signs.… Read the rest “Intelligent bump ahead: Crazy pedestrians:: Pedestrian heaven and intelligent-city hell”

How smart is “smart cities”? :: “Smart cities” is a sales gimmick for a vision with real benefits

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How do you explain the “smart cities” idea? How do you do it on a first date, as I had to do not long ago?

She asked, “So, what do you write about?” That I wrote about “smart cities” was already on the record. First, you sip your beer. Then you set out to jump over the gimmicky “smart” and into the noble “cities.”

I say “smart cities” because it’s widely recognized. But like many of us, I have to hold my nose when I say it. “Smart” sounds like another cheap dream, another little experiment by people eager to flaunt their tech while they conceal its frailties and hide your personal data’s murky destination.… Read the rest “How smart is “smart cities”? :: “Smart cities” is a sales gimmick for a vision with real benefits”

Coaxing a city into the digital age :: Architecture leader at GE Digital, a mom, born in Pakistan, and the first woman of color to be elected to the San Ramon (CA) city council (republished from August 2019)

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Take a look at the San Ramon City Council’s official portrait and see what you notice. What’s hard to miss is four white men of about Boomer age standing shoulder to shoulder — and in line with them one young woman rising just above their belly height. She’s about to shake things up there by coaxing the city into the digital age.

She’s Sabina Zafar, architecture leader at GE Digital, a mom, born in Pakistan, and the first woman of color to be elected to the city council. She knew from the start her job wouldn’t be easy, as she’s found out since being elected in November 2018, later as vice-mayor.… Read the rest “Coaxing a city into the digital age :: Architecture leader at GE Digital, a mom, born in Pakistan, and the first woman of color to be elected to the San Ramon (CA) city council (republished from August 2019)”