Stepping away a bit from the urban aspect of Fab Cities and more towards the maker side, here’s a small DIY project that most of us probably didn’t know was possible, a simple handheld device that can identify the five most common plastics.
Chances are you’ve heard of Universal Basic Income (everyone in a population getting a certain amount of money every month, regardless of employment status or income), but have you heard of “universal basic mobility”? Like many UBI pilot programs, it's not really universal but it's an intriguing proposition nonetheless: if local government provides a stipend for mobility, what kind of change does that bring to the lives of people with very limited income?
I’d suggest reading Cop26 leaders asking “what if we just gave up cars?” for the topic itself, but also as an example of the magnitude of change possible as well as the very strong headwinds blowing against some of those changes.
It’s very well known scientifically, and increasing more so across city governance and citizens, that the presence of more nature in cities offers many benefits. Tree cover moderates heat islands and extreme heat, offers psychological benefits, and of course parks and urban forests are essential for socializing and cultural events.
Excellent research project on urban tech by the Jacobs Institute’s Urban Tech Hub at Cornell Tech, presented as an horizon scan plotting possibilities in the field of urban tech. Note that these are provocations, not predictions, in other words, ideas to consider, to be used in furthering discussions and reflexions.
