$100 Billion Dollar Jackpot – Townsend
– In some ways, Songdo is a scaled up continuation of Price’s “Generator,” in the sense that the 60’s project was one of the first to conceptualize a built environment that “could learn, remember and develop an intelligent awareness of their needs.” (p. 22) On the other hand, Songdo has gone in a completely different direction. Generator was described as “a computerized leisure facility” while every description of Songdo that I have seen has failed to mention or consider the happiness of its inhabitants. It may be efficient, and it may be “smart,” but will it be enjoyable? “Intuitive, mobile, and effortless, high definition video keeps the cities residents in near-lifelike contact at a distance and on the go.” (p. 48) Near-lifelike contact is still not actual human contact, and it seems like Songdo is giving its citizens every excuse to stay in their apartments, away from real contact to other people.
– Though we don’t think about it, “cellular” and “mobile” are missing the mark when it comes to how we describe our untethered devices. Maybe the German term “Handy” is the most accurate current expression.
Test Bed as Urban Epistemology – Calvillo, Halpern, LeCavalier, Pietsch
– If Songdo is “the experimental prototype community of tomorrow,” why is it already being exported to other parts of the world? According to the authors, the city is still “both literally and conceptually incomplete.” Should they not wait at least a few years, evaluate, and then learn from their mistakes before transplanting a replica?
– Living in an environment built on data mining sounds like it could be incredibly helpful and efficient in some ways, but one can imagine it quickly becoming an episode of Black Mirror. What is the need for home genetic-testing kits and blood-work labs in every home?