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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”

How one San Francisco-area city found its own “cool”:: What does it take to make a dull city smart? Longtime San Francisco-area chief innovation officer has answers

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This post was originally published on Datadoodle on September 6, 2019

Imagine the moment your boss makes it clear why he hired you, and it’s not the reason he once gave you. You’re three months into your new job as chief innovation officer in a decidedly uncool suburban city near San Francisco. You’d been told the job was all about a new fiber-optic loop. Now, you hear, it’s all about making the place “cool.”

The moment comes at a city council meeting. The mayor bangs his fist on the dais and says to council members and staff, “Look, I just want this city to be cool.… Read the rest “How one San Francisco-area city found its own “cool”:: What does it take to make a dull city smart? Longtime San Francisco-area chief innovation officer has answers”