CITIES (AN OPEN INNOVATION INITIATIVE)
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CONVERSATION IGNITES AMONGST ORDINARY CITIZENS OF A CITY, AND THE CONVERSATION IS FRAMED AROUND THE IDEA AND NOTION OF “A GREAT CITY”? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SCIENTISTS FROM EVERY DISCIPLINE JOIN ON THE CONVERSATION? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN POETS, ARCHITECTS, INDUSTRY, AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS ALSO JOIN? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR A “GREAT CITY” ARE DISCUSSED? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS CONVERSATION OCCURS NOT JUST ONCE BUT RATHER PERPETUALLY? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS CONVERSATION GIVES RISE TO A SERIES OF COHERENT VISIONS AND ULTIMATELY LEADS TO SPONTANEOUS COORDINATIONS?
Asking questions in the above construct is intentional. From a design perspective, cities are the epitome of agent-based complex adaptive systems. They represent a perfect staging candidate for growing an open innovation ecosystem from the ground up. Their bounded geography, dense population, educational institutions and industrial clusters constitute essential building blocks for nesting and colliding creative ideas, entrepreneurs and start-ups in novel ways. The timing of this project is also intentional. This project is commencing at a time when syntheses of science and technology is leading to an inflection point for human intelligence. We believe that with the convergence of A.I, internet of things (IoT) and instantaneous communications, human intelligence is rapidly shifting to the collective providing cities with amazing opportunities to tackle complex urban-ecological challenges. We hypothesize that this innovation will emerge at different scales of societal engagement only when great ideas, concepts and insights are “mediated” to intersect. Our work entails scaffolding the necessary structures for this to happen.
