CONNECTED CITIES Intersecting Design & Technology 2018 GAME CHALLENGE
Table of Contents https://issuu.com/sherrysnipes/docs/pdf
The Issue ………………………………………………. 1 Design Thinking …………………………………….. 2 Urban Issues ………………………………………….. 3 The Game Challenge ……………………………… 4 Detroit …………………………………………………… 5 Atlanta …………………………………………………... 6 New York ………………………………………………… 7 Summary ………………………………………………… 8 Teacher Activities Technology Impact …………………………………. 9 What Would You Change? …………………... 10 Design Thinking ……………………………………. 11 Designing your game………………………………12
The Issue
World populations are increasingly moving from rural to urban centers, making large cities more dense than ever. Americans are moving to cities and urban sprawl is increasing. The technology components of cities range from smart grids and driverless cars to automated buildings and advanced sensors. Each city is an ecosystem that also includes education, jobs and economic opportunity. How cities are designed affect how we work, live and play as we navigate throughout the day to access schools, hospitals, playgrounds, retail stores, restaurants, parks and workplaces. Think about how you can reimagine aspects your everyday life – is there a playground or baseball field near your home? Can your parents walk to a grocery store or do they need to drive or catch a bus? Is the temperature at your school comfortable all year 1 round? What would you redesign in your city to make it more inviting?
Imagine change
Envision how you could change your city through design and technology by developing a digital game that address issues impacting your city by thinking creatively, investigating how you can influence spaces and places and advocate for a better community and higher living standards. These standards are shaped by social, cultural and design influences, such as quality of life.
Through design thinking
Design Thinking is a methodology used to solve complex problems, and find desirable solutions by drawing upon logic, imagination, intuition, and systematic reasoning to create desired outcomes that benefit the end user. Design thinking can be utilized to reimagine a place, city or community to solve a social challenge such as sustainability, walkability, economic opportunity, inclusive communities or access to resources. 2
Urban Issues Currently, more than 3.5 billion people live in cities, according to the World Bank. That number is expected to reach 5 billion by 2030, with two-thirds of the global population living in cities. SUSTAINABILITY Cities, as population epicenters, account for three-quarters of the world’s energy use and 70% of the world’s carbon emissions. The adverse health and environmental effects of urban sprawl will become even more pressing as urban populations grow and their greenhouse gas emissions increase. As a city expands, urban sprawl eats up forested lands. That in turn leads to deforestation, which accounts for roughly 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. TRANSPORTATION Public transport, and transportation in general, is challenging in urban areas. As city populations grow, more vehicles are entering the roads each day. Transportation challenges include congestion, long commutes, old transit infrastructure and urban sprawl. Ride-hailing and car sharing services are changing the paradigm convenient and as innovation brings self-driving cars, electric vehicles, in-vehicle data connectivity, and other technologies to more people, getting around cities will become easier, faster, and safer. WALKABILITY According to Walkscore.com, walkable neighborhoods with access to public transit, better commutes, and proximity to the people and places you love are the key to a happier, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. When urban areas are friendly to foot traffic and have a comprehensive public transportation system, non-drivers are not restricted. According to the American Journal of Public Health, walkable neighborhoods also increase social capital. Greater social capital has been linked to better community health, decreased crime and increased economic activity. Also, residents are more likely to walk to places such as markets, restaurants, schools and parks. DIVERSITY According to the U.S. Census Bureau America's diversity remains on the rise, with all racial and ethnic minorities growing faster than whites from 2015 to 2016. Asian and mixed-race people are the two fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population. The agency also found the U.S. median age has risen to nearly 38. Experts say that by 2044—if trends continue—the US will have no ethnic majority for the first time in its history. It’s very important for cities to ensure all segments of the population have access to resources that provide an enhance quality of life. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/OPPORTUNITY Economic development is the engine that helps cities grow successfully. Whether it’s promoting an environment where small businesses can thrive, supporting more and better employment opportunities, or offering improved amenities to current and prospective residents and businesses. From construction to start-ups, more and more cities are making it easier for entrepreneurs to start or grow a business 3 which in turn drives job growth and opportunity.
THEME CHALLENGE
Make a game that identifies issues in your community (Detroit, Atlanta or New York City)that you want to change and utilize design thinking to reimagine the space or place in your city to create solutions. Determine your solution by using and exploring a variety of techniques including research, interviews with people in your community, site visits, drawing prototypes, and creating models. THEME RESOURCES
https://www.scientificameri can.com/article/can-citiesbe-sustainable/ http://www.hopesandfears.c om/hopes/city/city_index/21 6917-city-index-carbonemissions
https://www.curbed.com /2017/1/24/14361030/b est-cities-publictransportation-light-railbus https://www.howtogee k.com/233073/whatare-autonomous-carsand-when-will-i-haveone-in-my-driveway/
http://www.rivercitycomp any.com/in-the-news/doyou-walk-why-walkabilityis-important-in-urbanareas
http://www.nlc.org/sites /default/files/201705/NLC%20State%20of% 20the%20Cities%202017 .pdf
http://www.ene rgyjustice.net/ju stice/index.php
http://www.nlc.org/sites/ default/files/201705/NLC%20State%20of%2 0the%20Cities%202017.pd f
https://www.epa.gov/sit es/production/files/201 601/documents/small_to wn_econ_dev_tool_010 516.pdf
https://www.yout ube.com/watch?v =xOOWk5yCMMs 4
Detroit was founded in 1701 and its name originates from the French word d'Etroit, which means strait, in reference to its location on the river connecting the Great Lakes. In the early-1900s to the mid-1900s, Detroit was a automobile manufacturing boomtown. Detroit is still most notably known as the “Motor City”, the birthplace of the American auto industry and headquarters location for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Detroit is also famous for introducing the “Motown sound” to the world with the establishment of Motown Records, which began popularizing the Soul and R&B genres during the 1950’s. From a design viewpoint, Detroit has been referred to as the “Paris of the West” for it’s grand electrified boulevards and distinct architectural character. The city's economy soared in the twentieth century, towering buildings were built and the city was full of jobs. But, in the coming years, a combination of population decline, competition from foreign manufacturers, and soaring unemployment due to the recession in 2008, led to a crippled economy. Today, many of the architectural gems of Detroit have fallen into disrepair as a result of drastic disinvestment in the City since the population loss of the 1960’s. In 1950, the City of Detroit was one of the largest and most influential American cities with a population of nearly 2 million. In 2016, the population count was just under 700,000 residents occupying a land mass of 139 square miles. Plagued by high vacancy rates and low population, Detroit now has a unique opportunity to reinvent itself.
While still facing the outcomes of these issues, the city is recovering. The city has settled its bankruptcy and has ended its second fiscal year with a balanced budget and has enacted a restoration project to remove the crumbling Flint River Dam and surround the river with 80 acres of park space to increase recreation. Despite the renewal, there are aspects of the city that could be improved upon.
Detroit Fun Facts The Motor City most
Paris of the West
notably known as the “Motor City”, the birthplace of the American auto industry. The “Big Three” auto firms including — General Motors were all based in Detroit
4 Million: Detroit
Detroit has been referred to as the “Paris of the West” for it’s grand electrified boulevards and distinct architectural character.
Motown Sound Detroit
and the surrounding area is home to almost 4 million people who live in close in close proximity to each other.
is famous for introducing the “Motown sound” to the world with the establishment of Motown Records, which popularized Soul and R&B genres.
Detroit Resources
https://detroit.curbed.com/ 2017/9/18/16320184/carfree-detroit-bike-publictransportation
https://detroit.curbed.c om/2017/9/18/1632018 4/car-free-detroit-bikepublic-transportation
https://www.walksco re.com/MI/Detroit
https://detroit.curbe d.com/maps/mapdetroit-constructiondevelopment
https://www.nationalge ographic.com/takingback-detroit/see5 detroit.html
Atlanta was founded in 1837 as the end of the Western & Atlantic railroad line. The term Atlanta, is the feminine of Atlantic -- as in the railroad. It played an important part in both the Civil War and the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. In early 1960, four Morehouse College students met at the site of the former Yates & Milton Drug Store - an informal gathering place for students. Inspired by a student sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, the three young men laid the groundwork for what would become a seminal phase in the Civil Rights Movement. The Atlanta University Center, comprised of six historically black institutions of higher learning - Atlanta University, Clark College, Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, and Spelman College - was philosophically committed to the principles of non-violent disobedience as taught by Ghandi and M.L. King Jr. Students conducted marches, picketing, and sit-ins that resulted in the desegregation of public and private facilities which had denied service or access to people of color. Thanks to the Atlanta Student Movement, the city began to live up to its slogan, "A city too busy to hate." In the past two decades, Atlanta has experienced unprecedented growth -- the official city population remains steady, at about 420,000, but the metro population has grown in the past decade by nearly 40 percent, from 2.9 million to 4.1 million people. Smart Growth America ranked Atlanta #1 a few years ago as the most sprawling metropolitan area due to heavy traffic and miles of urban sprawl — caused by population growth over the last two decades. A good measure of this growth is the ever-changing downtown skyline, along with skyscrapers constructed in the Midtown, Buckhead, and outer perimeter (fringing I-285) business districts. Since the late 1970s, dozens of dazzling skyscrapers designed by such luminaries as Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei, and Marcel Breuer have reshaped the city's profile.
Today the fast-growing city remains a transportation hub, not just for the country but also for the world: Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is one of the nation's busiest in daily passenger flights. Direct flights to Europe, South America, and Asia have made metro Atlanta easily accessible to the more than 1,000 international businesses and the more than 50 countries have representation in the city through consulates, trade offices, and chambers of commerce. The city has emerged as a banking center and is the world headquarters for 13 Fortune 500 companies.
Atlanta Fun Facts
Dazzling Skyline
International transportation
4.1 Million: Atlanta
Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is one of the nation's busiest airports.
metro population has grown in the past decade by nearly 40 percent, from 2.9 million to 4.1 million people.
Civil Rights In 1960
Dozens of skyscrapers in Midtown & Buckhead designed by famous architects such as Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei, and Marcel Breuer reshaped the city's profile.
four Morehouse Students laid the groundwork for desegregation of public & private facilities through non-violent disobedience.
Atlanta Resources
http://www.atlantaga.gov/ Home/ShowDocument?id= 539
https://atlantaregional. org/transportationmobility/transportation -planning/regionaltransportation-plan/
https://www.walksc ore.com/GA/Atlanta
https://atlanta.curbe d.com/2016/3/2/111 44290/harvard-laudsatlanta-developme
https://www.youtube.c om/user/metroatlantac hamber
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The Dutch first settled along the Hudson River in 1624; two years later they established the colony of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. In 1664, the English took control of the area and renamed it New York. New York City comprises 5 boroughs sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. At its core is Manhattan, a densely populated borough that’s among the world’s major commercial, financial and cultural centers New York City continues to have major influence and impact on the world’s economy, entertainment, media, education, art, technology, and scientific research. New York City, is the single largest regional urban economy in the country. New York City is the leading job hub for banking, finance and communication in the U.S. New York is also a major manufacturing center and shipping port, and it has a thriving technological sector. There are more books, magazines and newspapers published in New York than in any other state in the country. Its iconic sites include skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and sprawling Central Park. Broadway theater is staged in neon-lit Times Square. Known as the Big Apple New York City’s nickname first gained popularity in connection with horseracing. Around 1920, New York City newspaper reporter John Fitz Gerald, whose beat was the track, heard African-American stable hands in New Orleans say they were going to “the big apple,” a reference to New York City, whose race tracks were considered big-time venues. Fitz Gerald soon began making mention of the Big Apple in his newspaper columns. In the 1930s, jazz musicians adopted the term to indicate New York City was home to big-league music clubs.
New York City is by far the largest city in the United States, with an estimated 2016 population of 8.55 million. This reflects growth of 375,300 people, a 4.6% increase, since the 2010 census. The city features five separate boroughs:) Staten Island, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. As many as 200 languages are spoken throughout New York City, making it the most diverse city in the world when it comes to linguistic multiplicity. Forty percent of the NYC population was born outside of the United States. Combine the cultural and ethnic diversity of the residents with the hundreds of consulates, embassies and permanent U.N. missions and you have a cosmopolitan city unlike any other. MTA New York City Transit is one of the most extensive and complex public transportation systems in the world. With 24-hour-a-day bus and subway service throughout the five boroughs, the MTA system moves more than six million people a day. More than 375,000 cars zip along on the city’s roads every day. Even though traffic is heavy, the thoroughfares in the city lie along a straightforward grid that makes navigating the Big Apple easier.
New York Fun Facts
Dazzling Skyline
NYC Transit
8.55 Million New York is the largest city in the United States. It saw a population increase of 375,300 people from 20002016.
MTA is one of the largest and most extensive transportation systems in the world with 24 hour service and more than 6 million daily riders.
A Diverse City with over 200 languages spoken, more the 40% of the population born outside the United States and a thriving entertainment and media center.
NYC is home to many historical structures such as the Empire State Building and Statue of liberty. The Skyline continues to evolve with iconic structures by prominent architects.
New York Resources
https://onenyc.cityofnewyo rk.us/progress/#sustainabili ty
http://blog.tstc.org/20 17/04/21/car-freenew-york-city/
https://www.walkscore .com/NY/New_York
http://3blmedia.com/News/N YC-Mayors-Office-EconomicOpportunity-Mayors-FundAdvance-New-York-City-andCiti-Community
https://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=bWIyYXKA h2E
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THEME ACTIVITY GUIDE Connected Cities Intersecting Design & Technology Issue Summary: Young people can envision change in their cities through design and technology by developing digital games that address issues impacting their city by thinking creatively, investigating how they can influence spaces and places and advocating for a better community and higher living standards. These standards are shaped by social, cultural and design influences, such as quality of life. How cities are designed affect how we work, live and play as we navigate throughout the day to access schools, hospitals, playgrounds, retail stores, restaurants, parks and workplaces. Think about how you can reimagine aspects your everyday life – is there a playground or baseball field near your home? Can your parents walk to a grocery store or do they need to drive or catch a bus? Is the temperature at your school comfortable all year round? What would you redesign in your city to make it more inviting? Design Thinking is a methodology used to solve complex problems, and find desirable solutions by drawing upon logic, imagination, intuition, and systematic reasoning to create desired outcomes that benefit the end user. By utilizing design thinking students will reimagine a place, city or community to solve a social challenge such as sustainability, walkability, economic opportunity, inclusive communities or access to resources. Prompt: Make a game that identifies issues in your community that you want to change and utilize design thinking to reimagine the space or place in your city to create solutions. Determine your solution by using and exploring a variety of techniques including research, interviews with people in your community, site visits, drawing prototypes, and creating models. Student Challenge Objectives: • Drive creative thinking and civic based learning • Introduce students to the processes and ideas that define professions and help shape our cities • Contribute to understanding communities critically and constructively. • Explore investigation through drawing and model building • Encourage analyzing through diagramming and research • Engage constituents through interviews and site visits • Reflect the demographics of our cities • Create greater exposure to architecture and STEM fields
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Activity 1: “Technology Impact on Cities” OBJECTIVES: Encourage students to think about technology and its impact on their day to
day lives. Time: 30 - 45 minutes MATERIALS: Pencils/paper or tablet/notebook to record notes ACTIVITIES:
•Explore: Ask students to walk around their neighborhood or school to observe and identify all the ways technology impacts their daily lives. (This may be done as a group activity or assigned as homework.) •Record: Students will record each instance they identify that utilizes technology that impacts their daily lives. •Discuss: Students will have group discussions about their findings. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Q1 What uses of technology did you discover on your neighborhood walk? Q2 Were there any unexpected discoveries? Q3 How would your world be different without technology? Q4 If you could utilize technology to change something in your city, what would you change?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/LINKS
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Blog/PCAST%20Cities%20Re port%20_%20FINAL.pdf 9
Activity 2: “What would you change in your city?� OBJECTIVES: Introduce the theme challenge to students. Discuss social and environmental opportunities to impact change in their city. Guide Students to identify gaming challenge TIME: 30 minutes MATERIALS: Pencils/paper or tablet/notebook to record notes ACTIVITIES: Introduce theme concepts: sustainability, transportation, walkability, diversity and economic opportunity. Research: Assign students the tasks to research a one of the key concepts and the current status of that topic in their city. Report: Student report their findings regarding key concepts. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Q1 What is sustainability and why is it important to our city?. Q2 Are there any transportation and or walkability challenges in our city? Q3 What is the impact of living in a diverse city? Q4 What is the state of economic opportunities in our cities? Q4 Would you change in your city to positively impact a social issues? ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/LINKS Future Cities Concepts Best Cities for Public Transportation World Cities Best Practices Report
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Activity 3: “Introducing Design Thinking” OBJECTIVES: Introduce the concept of “Design Thinking” to students. Time: 10 minutes MATERIALS: Computer, projector, flip charts/markers (optional) or pencils/paper (optional) ACTIVITIES: Watch “What is Design Thinking” Video with students (4 min) Discuss concepts introduced in the video (5 min) Discuss individual and group ideas on how to use design thinking to change behaviors (5 min) DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Q1 What is Design Thinking? Q2 What were the design thinking steps introduced in the video? Q3 What were your ideas on how you would use technology to change something in your city from the “Technology Impact on Cities” exercise and the “What would you Change Exercise”? Q4 How could you intersect the technology issue and the city issue by using design thinking to impact change?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/LINKS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V5BwTrQOCs (review with students) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhQWrHQwYTk (for teachers only) https://www.nureva.com/blog/how-to-use-real-problems-to-spark-real-engagement http://legacy.mos.org/designchallenges/index.php 11
Activity 4: “Designing Your Game� OBJECTIVES: Create a game design objective and prototype the game concept Time: 60 minutes MATERIALS: Computer, projector, flip charts/markers or pencils/paper
ACTIVITIES: Discuss issues that were identified in previous exercises (10 min). Students draft gaming objective and concept (10 min). Utilize Design thinking steps to prototype/storyboard gaming concept (40 min). Learn from people Find patterns Design principles Make tangible Iterate relentlessly DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Q1 What is the objective of your game concept? Q2 What social issue (s) are you focusing on? Q3 How will you design your game so that participants can interact with your game to solve the issue?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/LINKS https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/how-to-make-a-video-game/ https://issuu.com/pgildner/docs/hackable-cities-pages 12