Investigating Wireless Technology and Urban Design

At EngagingCities, we are always interested in sharing industry findings that document how new technologies are continuously changing the social life of urban public spaces. So, when we stumbled upon the photo essay and research study, The Social Life of Wireless Urban Spaces, we just had to share it with our readers.

The study, which focuses on the relationship between the use of wireless technologies and the tendency for people to minimize exposure to diversity, is a unique observation of seven public parks, plazas, and markets located in four cities in the United States and Canada: Bryant Park (NYC), Union Square, (NYC), Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia), Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia), Union Square (San Francisco), Dundas Square (Toronto), and Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto).

Researchers took their notebooks and cameras to these spaces, and explored how wireless Internet access brings new uses and new life to public spaces—and how it pushes out existing public life. Some wireless users are cut off from their surroundings, but for most, interactions between on- and offline experiences increase exposure to social diversity. Their findings about the complex relationships between Internet use in urban public spaces, exposure to social diversity, and maintenance of social networks are documented in a great collection of images.

Take a look at the Photo Essay >>