• previous
• 262 of 329 concepts
• next

Concept

back to list

Infographics to Inspire Change

Inspired by Rebecca Hui’s inspiration The Indian City Through the Perspective of a Cow, which describes tracking and interpreting data about trends in India’s cities by the movements and actions of its cows, I began to think more deeply about precisely how valuable infographics can be. Not only to convey information in a new and different way, but also to help us draw previously unseen connections between different types of data.

Which led me to the following question:

What if we could use infographics to not only encourage a deeper understanding of the city itself, but also to diagnose problem areas, get residents invested, and inspire change?

This concept integrates two important concepts, the infographic and the community, and I’ll address each separately.

The Infographic

After doing a Google search, I found a few different infographics that are particularly inspiring. One, from PSFK Consulting, is an infographic detailing the “Anatomy of a Smart City”. At one point in the infographic, they detail different methods of measuring how smart a city is. They covered these methods within the domain of different subject areas, particularly the Environment, Safety, Transportation, Utilities, and Buildings.

It was this facet of the infographic that inspired me. What if we could create an infographic of Detroit that could plot the intersection of each of these subject domains?

For Environment we could plot the public parks and gardens and their level of maintenance. We could also plot unused spaces such as parking lots, unused land, etc.

For Safety we could plot the crime rates, such as violent crime and drug-related offenses, etc.

For Transportation we could plot the public transportation options (bus, train, etc.) available to Detroit residents and how many people take them.

For Utilities we could plot places in town where residents cannot afford utilities, utilities are canceled, or paid by the government.

For Buildings we could plot abandoned buildings, foreclosed houses, etc.

In addition, I would suggest adding in measurements of Health. Particularly, life expectancy and infant mortality rates. I think these in particular are highly indicative of quality of life, or lack thereof.

The neighborhoods we would then target for change would be the neighborhoods where there are:

• no public gardens or parks,
  
• many unused spaces,
  
• high crime rates,
  
• unused/underused public transportation,
  
• high instance of canceled or government subsidized residential utilities,
  
• high instances of abandoned building or foreclosed homes,
  
• low life expectancy, and
  
• high infant mortality rates.
  

The infographic itself would serve three purposes. It would inform the city and partner NGOs of the largest (in scope, not size) problem areas when considering the intersection of several different metrics. It would also provide these organizations with areas and topics ready/ripe for direct action. Finally, it would serve as a template for community investment.

The Community

Once the larger infographic has been developed, I would suggest breaking it down into individual infographics that represent each neighborhood or section of the city. This could be distributed to the neighborhood itself through the internet, NGO outreach efforts, etc.

On these neighborhood infographics I would suggest highlighting areas ready for change and, in the Candy Chang way, asking, “I wish this was… “

This methodology could not only be applied to buildings needing to be built, but also to already existing services. For instance, “I wish this hospital was…” or “I wish this bus was…”

Change is so much more effective if, rather than being forced on residents, they are allowed to participate and generate it. In business terms, it creates buy-in, which is essential to gain if there is to be any kind of lasting change in the city.

Impact

Overall, I think this concept is a low cost solution that serves to heighten awareness of both the city as a whole and as clusters of individual neighborhoods, highlight areas of opportunity for NGOs and local government, and to incorporate citizens of the most affected areas. If all of these elements were utilized to their full potential, this could not help but create a more vibrant city.

Some other inspirational links:

http://thisbigcity.net/infographic-an-8-city-perspective-on-health-and-well-being/

http://www.theurbn.com/2011/10/earth-2-0-an-interview-with-tia-kansara/

41 Evaluations so far

Comments

Amanda Drescher

delete comment

January 18, 2012, 07:28AM

I just wanted to stop by and say thank you to everyone who has commented on this concept!! A big, big, THANK YOU. Unfortunately, I never had the time I hoped to have for prototyping this concept (thesis/course work will bite you that way). Still, I think many of you have raised valuable points in terms of issues this concept needs to address in order to maximize impact. I really appreciate the thought that each of you put into your comments and evaluations. Hearing your thoughts is truly one of my favorite aspects of OpenIDEO and, though I had not time to respond, I read and considered each of your comments carefully. Thanks again!

- Amanda

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Maggie Barnes

delete comment

January 17, 2012, 09:21PM

I'm a huge fan of this concept. I think data visualization works to bring in the expertise of many different fields, exactly the kind of collaborative foundation we need in order to address today's complex problems.

A few questions:
How would the infographic be disseminated throughout on the ground? Or would it just be available online?

What are your thoughts behind how residents would be included? Would they be involved in the conception phase of the infographic? Or only in offering feedback after the design has been completed?

Great idea!

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Fred Krawchuk

delete comment

January 17, 2012, 07:39PM

Thank you for putting together this insight concept! I think this effort can help stakeholders create a more comprehensive picture of what's happening on the ground and therefore better inform each others' effort...working together to build a map may also create additional impetus for collaboration (it's not just one government agency's or one NGO's or other solitary stakeholder's map/view of the environment - it's a collective view)...by visually helping people find common ground, you have increased their chances to take more collective action. Thanks again!

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Brian Redondo

delete comment

January 17, 2012, 06:48PM

Great idea Amanda! I'm reminded of other web platforms like http://www.seeclickfix.com and http://www.commonsthegame.com/ in New York City. Like those projects, I think this one could really benefit from resident input in crowdsourced reports about all the target areas you identified. I think cities do have a lot of the data already, but it's hardly ever complete and also is ever-changing. Enlisting on the ground eyes and ears can help sustain breadth and depth of the data while ensuring that the people directly affected are involved.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Ben Irey

delete comment

January 17, 2012, 02:58PM

I think that the right data visualization can provide the enthusiasm or inspiration needed to spark action, but I agree with other commenters that there just isn't a planned way to harness the enthusiasm I think this idea would generate.

If we could create these graphics as part of a volunteer think-tank that had a focus on action to "solve" one of the issues they uncover with the graphics then we'd be moving in the right direction. And since these graphics would be relatively cheap to produce, I think that the group could rapidly prototype several ideas for exploration without stressing the resources too much.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Jorge Vazquez-Pallares

delete comment

January 10, 2012, 03:21PM

Hello Amanda! Great idea. As someone with nearly ten years experience in using data visualizations, I think there is quite a bit of merit in what you are doing. If I may just provide some insight:

Ultimately, any Data Visualization, if done correctly, is meant to tell a story and to make it simple for the audience to grasp the connections and relationships between the “characters” within that story & fully comprehend how they relate to one another. This then, you would hope, inspires action within the audience based on their new understanding. This is the same for a data visualization used in a board room or here, as a tool to revitalize a community.

So I would suggest that as you work towards building the data visualization, also begin bringing together the resources that will allow your audience to immediately take action. Don’t leave it to them to have to go out and figure out the “how”. That swell of inspiration can be powerful, but also fleeting. So make sure you don't just focus on a way to spark inspiration, but also focus on a way to direct it.

Good luck!

4 Applaud Report this comment

George Shewchuk's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

George Shewchuk

delete comment

January 10, 2012, 07:49PM

Agreed. Well-said. I like Amanda's approach but it is missing that bridge from idea/inspiration to action. Great start though!

0 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

January 11, 2012, 01:57PM

The action will depend upon the city/region under consideration. While Detroit is an example the concept needs to be broad enough (and at this stage sufficiently non-specific) to apply anywhere. Amanda has usefully identified some areas of information that might be relevant to communities if any of us has access to realtime data and/or appropriate software we might be able to provide enhanced input by way of examples.

1 Applaud Report this comment

Jorge Vazquez-Pallares's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Jorge Vazquez-Pallares

delete comment

January 11, 2012, 02:14PM

I have access to Tableau & Spotfire and I'd be happy to put them on top of some data sets if that could prove helpful. Excel is always a great place to start as well, if that'd be prefered. Either way, I'm more than happy to help...

0 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

January 11, 2012, 02:43PM

Sounds great Jorge - once the evaluation phase is complete we may be able to locate some meaningful datasets to build some prototypes. I suspect that Infographics will be a recurrent element in future challenges too so your (and others) expertise may be in regular demand.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Anne-Laure Fayard's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Anne-Laure Fayard

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 02:46AM

Hi, I agree with Paul's last comment on the probable recurrence of infographic / data visualization inspired concepts in future challenges.
I also agree that it would be nice to be able to push a bit the concept to show the link between story telling (through data visualization) to actions. It might mean thinking more about the audience (who are we trying to convince? city or some public agencies, or potential founders? or the everyday people) as it will allow to think of what kind of data, but also what kind of actions might be suggested.
Probably there will be various audiences and one can decide to have variations for the different audiences.
I'm also wondering if there's not a second step which is to not only visualize the problems and issues but also the improvements and successes. It would be nice to be able to show successes as well.
To Johan's point (comment above), it is also important to think of who will design these visualizations. Tapping in the local talents and / or organizing contests seems a good idea.
al

0 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 04:06AM

Good points A-L (hope the abbreviation is not impolite).
The impact of the infographic is highly dependent on the both the audience and the representation of the data. I guess this is one reason that most infographics are either map based or a traditional form of 'graph' (histogram, pie chart etc.). As with any statistical information it is very important that the audience is aware not only of the source of the information but the method of scaling used. A common 'trick' used in the advertising industry is to use logarithmic scales knowing that most 'general public' audience will read the information as linear. Great care needs to be exercised in constructing the infographic to avoid distortion (and subsequent backlash). I completely agree that providing data on successes or progress towards goals would be a necessary second step. The traditional 'donation thermometer is a good example - and will engender different responses from different people. Ultimately how 'worthy' or 'worthwhile' the project is perceived to be may be more important than the data.: on the other hand if the infographic can capture and build enthusiasm it can be truly inspirational.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Anne-Laure Fayard's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Anne-Laure Fayard

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 01:00PM

Thanks Paul. (AL is perfectly fine and used by many :-) ).
All great points about infographics, the data analysis it is built upon and the importance of being clear about the source and the method of analysis.

Going through some of the other comments below (e.g. Tyler and Carla), I realized that several suggested being clearer about the audience and also mapping not only what is "missing", but also what has been done. I was thinking for example of an inspiration for this challenge http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/inspiration/tidy-street-changing-neighbors-behaviors-through-voluntary-monitoring-and-public-infographics/#c-43f0c3cfadfba7c66ef22d56092469dc
which is a nice way of how to "call for action".

0 Applaud Report this comment

Jeroen Spoelstra's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Jeroen Spoelstra

delete comment

January 14, 2012, 11:16AM

Paul and Jorge, you might connect info-graphics immediately to actions people undertake to create more awareness through the info-graphics.

Maybe we could learn from the Opencities.net project. They have a lessons-learned part in their Apps for Amsterdam report. http://waag.org/project/opencities

0 Applaud Report this comment

Gabriela Hernandez's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Gabriela Hernandez

delete comment

January 15, 2012, 09:37PM

I agree with many of you. I truly believe that audience has to be one of the most important parameters when visualizing data. Somthing that should be taken into consideration is "where" this information will be displayed and accessed by their different audiences. Thinking about places where people get together or where people (say, locals) get informed everyday. Thinking on education levels and how people might read the information and how. Prototyping and follow ups to measure effectiveness should be as important as the final product or what it is trying to communicate in order to be successful.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Emily Goligoski's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Emily Goligoski

delete comment

January 16, 2012, 01:57AM

I agree that visualizations can be powerful when spread widely (and when the data has been well-researched, which has been a recent complaint about several published infographics). SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Research Commission, has also done a great job of using simple images as storytelling mechanisms: http://www.spur.org/

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Jeroen Spoelstra

delete comment

January 14, 2012, 11:19AM

Hi Amanda,

I like your concept. May be this site http://opencities.net/ could provide inspiration for some last moment refinements?

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Johan Löfström

delete comment

January 11, 2012, 10:46PM

There are a few details that I don't understand or connect with. Who will do the actual graphic design?

My idea is crowdsourcing amongst freelancers in detroit would create also proudness. Have open-call for many volunteers to choose a dataset and make it visually appealing. Almost like art-competition. And also influence these designers to share links to where their work could be viewed. peer-to-peer awareness participants do major work of marketing.

Who is really going to use and benefit from these diagrams? average joe won't hardly waste time if he now feels out of touch with local community issues. Is it just for hardcore people already involved in cityplanning? just preaching to the choir, like VicePresident Gore did with his Inconvenient Truth, is not enough to cause more vibrancy.

2 Applaud Report this comment

Jorge Vazquez-Pallares's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Jorge Vazquez-Pallares

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 03:18AM

Wow. You brought Gore into this? Seems to me "vibrancy" is defined by enthusiasm, and in this case that takes the form of a community deciding to get involved. Which is made easier if that community realizes the full impact that involvement might have.

Through such an idea like Amanda's, you are helping direct those efforts towards fixing those problems that will have the absolute greatest positive impact on the surrounding community and the people in it.

And they know this only because Amanda and her team went through the work of laying out the game plan, and doing it in a way that makes it easily digestible. Local community leaders, students, neighbors, average joes, who might feel overwhelmed by the daunting task of not knowing where to start, will be able to take these Infographics and in seconds easily grasp what can and should be done, and know exactly the absolute impact their work will have. Seem's to me that would absolutely garner, and generate, vibrancy.

1 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 04:43AM

Have to agree that enthusiasm is the key - it can have a synergistic effect, but the information needs to be rock solid and the interpretation carefully balanced. Once upon a time we thought the atom was the smallest, indivisible part of matter. While that is no longer true an atom is still the smallest component of a recognisable element.Often we have to be careful with the data itself but even more often we have to be careful with interpreting it.Many people understand the concept of 'average', fewer probably 'median' - but both these concepts are nonsensical if you are interested in the phenomenon of 'distribution' of wealth. Mathematics easily shows that without 'conscious' intervention the gap between 'haves' and have nots' tends to widen. The Occupy Wall Street movement may well presage a more catastrophic outcome for western democracy than it seems, if governments don't address the wealth distribution issue in some way other than the 'free market'.

1 Applaud Report this comment

Johan Löfström's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Johan Löfström

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 12:49PM

I was simply stating that only people eager to be enthused would be easily encouraged by such a project. early-adaptors.
But what about all the other people, sceptics, slow-learners, illiterates? I just feel many would not understand any of the ambitions or what this project could be used to do.
  You could lead a horse to water, you could display anything to most average people and yet never get any "magic" happening because they don't understand what you are tryign to do for them.
See also comment from Pin CHin Kwok, I agree with it, you would also need to add lots of guidance/motivation to make anyone commit to start some real things in the real world (based on what they see in these infographics of course)

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Pin Chin Kwok

delete comment

January 13, 2012, 08:47AM

Hi Amanda,

I loved the idea! I am a proponent of using data visualization to help the masses grasp information, the scale of problems or challenges, or even the intensity of joy in communities.

My comment here would be - HOW would the infographics lead to action? I am pretty sure it would get a number of people riled up and excited but oftentimes, (1) productive action needs some guiding hands, and (2) importantly, I think that a lot of people think that their individual contribution cannot lead to much change, and so end up not doing anything about a problem. Can some kind of interactive, humanized infographics show people what their individual contributions can lead to?

So, I like the path that you are on. I just think that we could take it a step or two further.

Thanks!

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Mamta Gautam

delete comment

January 11, 2012, 11:15AM

Dear Amanda,you have a brilliant concept here.The same could be used to attract start ups and organize shair fair and other final concepts of this challenge. More often then not, opportunities are available around us but lack of right and precise information at right time is missing to take advantage for any individual.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

January 11, 2012, 01:41PM

Thoroughly agree Mamta - Amanda's concept will fit with and enhance a range of other concepts as well as being useful on its own to convey any desired and relevant information.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Ranyee Chiang

delete comment

January 10, 2012, 01:05AM

A key success factor will be getting a large and active community of users to look at the infographics, provide input, and connect the graphic information to actions. What options are there for connecting this with existing social networks, for example Facebook? What is the benefit that users/contributors will get from participating? And will the information be dynamic enough that users will return often?

I like the potential of this idea, so good luck!

0 Applaud Report this comment

Ranyee Chiang's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Ranyee Chiang

delete comment

January 10, 2012, 01:59AM

There isn't a feature to go back and edit your comments. But after hit "Post reply," I was thinking, "Facebook, that's so obvious! What a silly example to give!" But I guess my intent was to suggest that latching on effectively to something with a large and frequent user base would be valuable here.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Tyler Goodwin

delete comment

January 08, 2012, 08:48PM

Nice work, Amanda--using visualized data to drive awareness obviously has great potential.

I'm new to the community, so my apologies if my comments are outside of the scope of what we are trying to accomplish in this phase--but here are a few refining thoughts from a 'product' perspective:

Who are these being created for--weekend activists? Urban planners? Specific groups/charities? This question has many implications on end-content, desired response, and method of dissemination--three areas where the initial vision seems less clear.

How dynamic does the content need to be? As progress is made or the challenging situation otherwise changes, how will the content be updated? Perhaps these graphics are posted at Lowe's in hopes of attracting DIYers to get involved in a community project. Perhaps they are used in community meetings to demonstrate the need for resources. In either of those cases, the content would need to be current, but is displayed statically. In another scenario, this might be a web-based tool that any of the above groups can log-in to, and see a custom dashboard with the most current information. As an example of something more dynamic, the USDA's new Food Atlas plots food deserts and related statistics in a way that is probably more useful to urban planners than weekend activists [http://www.ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/].

Lastly, how might we further develop the concept to ensure activist, opportunity, and resources will connect to actually solve the challenges discovered? Presumably, once the opportunity is recognized, the user's next steps would be to form a plan and foster support. Perhaps further tools could be developed (or integrated) to connect users with project planning help, and ways to connect with others outside of their immediate network who are interested in helping or are key members of the resource granting process.

To summarize, I recommend thinking about how this will be accessed, and how to drive transparency and visualization beyond just opportunity recognition.

Good luck!

4 Applaud Report this comment

Meena Kadri's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Meena Kadri

delete comment

January 08, 2012, 09:15PM

Welcome, Tyler! Great provocations & reflections here.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

January 08, 2012, 09:57PM

These infographics would seem to be a natural fit with the http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/concepting/revitalizing-detroit-a-collaborative-approach/ concept from Fred Krawchuk. Perhaps refinement of these two concepts (with possible elements from others) could form a "super-concept" in the refinement phase.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Carla 's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Carla

delete comment

January 09, 2012, 10:31PM

Hi Amanda. I love the Anatomy of a Smart City example you gave. Very elegant. I share Tyler's questions about who this service is intended for. What is the job of this tool? You listed a few possibilities but perhaps if you can hone in on that a little more, we can be of more help.

Other concept contributions have mentioned mapping existing projects and services in the city. Knowing what projects the city of Detroit and other organizations are already undertaking can help people feel like they are being heard and helped. Or help them take action to get services for their own community. What do you think?

The choice of indicators that you will track on your infographics is going to dictate a lot of your subsequent decisions. For example, some data points are measured by the minute, weekly, monthly, bi-annually. Collecting and analyzing it could take quite a bit of time - also consider a review panel to ensure the way the data are interpreted is not overly biased (glass half full/empty).

In terms of community feedback- I recommend you diversify the channels for feedback as much as possible. I vote for your partnership idea to enable some more expensive methods of collecting public opinion. Online channels, while cheap, can cut out feedback from people without regular access to or comfort with the web (like me!).

You've done some great thinking on this! Good luck and let us know how we can help!

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Megan Campbell

delete comment

January 09, 2012, 03:51AM

Amanda, I went poking around the internet and found two sites I think could have useful data for you - SeeClickFix Detroit (seeclickfix.com/detroit) maps reports of community issues (like broken street lights) onto different areas of the city, and EveryBlock Detroit (detroit.everyblock.com) aggregates news about different neighbourhoods that could be useful for compiling instances of crime or community events.

Also, I wanted to throw an idea for a specific visualization into the mix. I read an article quite a few years ago in which a community worker in Toronto mentioned that when the first billboards for downtown shops went up in the Jane & Finch area it felt like a tangible, important marker of progress in the area. I thought it was an interesting, unusual comment, and it stuck with me. I think it could be neat to create word maps from the advertisements in different neighbourhoods as a way of visualizing the types of commercial services that people in those areas can easily access.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Leila Bozorg

delete comment

January 05, 2012, 09:30PM

Hey Amanda, Great idea and congrats on moving on to the refinement stage! For inspiration, check out some of the work of Data Driven Detroit (http://datadrivendetroit.org/) -- their philosophy aligns well with your idea. If you're looking for other place-specific data for prototyping, also check out the (federal) department of housing and urban development's public data site: http://www.huduser.org/portal/ (there is a link to "data sets", and other possibly useful information and infographics). Again, nice work!

0 Applaud Report this comment

Amanda Drescher's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Amanda Drescher

delete comment

January 05, 2012, 09:39PM

Wow, thanks Leila!! Those should be some great sources to get me started. Awesome suggestions, thanks again!

1 Applaud Report this comment

Meena Kadri's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Meena Kadri

delete comment

January 05, 2012, 10:33PM

Nice one Leila: this is totally what makes our Refinement worthwhile – collaborative developments!

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

OpenIDEO

delete comment

January 05, 2012, 08:46PM

Way to go on your Top 20 concept Amanda! The advisory panel was inspired to think about how visuals might raise awareness and maybe even motivate acts of vibrancy among community members. During Refinement, might it be possible to mock up what one of these infographics would look like? What community data do you and others have access to that might inform an early sketch or design?

1 Applaud Report this comment

Amanda Drescher's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Amanda Drescher

delete comment

January 05, 2012, 09:12PM

Thanks OpenIDEO. Can't wait to start prototyping!

1 Applaud Report this comment

Meena Kadri's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Meena Kadri

delete comment

January 05, 2012, 09:24PM

Bring it on! We can't wait either!

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Meena Kadri

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 08:44PM

And I wonder if the same initiative might have a mapping component (as well as inforgraphics) which citizens could get involved in themselves? eg. mapping broken utilities, etc. May be a way of attracting more engaged participation if the public are involved as part of the information collection?

5 Applaud Report this comment

Sarah Fathallah's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Sarah Fathallah

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 09:04PM

Something like mapping potholes for Boston? http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/specials/013009_pothole/

1 Applaud Report this comment

Amanda Drescher's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Amanda Drescher

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 09:08PM

Interesting point Meena, and great link Sarah! Thanks.

0 Applaud Report this comment

Meena Kadri's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Meena Kadri

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 09:09PM

or other examples here built on the Ushahidi platform: http://blog.ushahidi.com/index.php/2011/09/29/your-city-your-map/

0 Applaud Report this comment

Paul Reader's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Paul Reader

delete comment

December 07, 2011, 11:32AM

Another great idea Amanda. I haven't looked at 'Vibrancy in a Box' yet so can't yet comment on that connection but I see some usefulness in the community component linking to the spreading Candy Chang inspired Neighborland sites

0 Applaud Report this comment

Melanie Kahl's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Melanie Kahl

delete comment

December 07, 2011, 09:10PM

Mapping, made accessible, dynamic, and open-source, has huge potential here. There are some promising platforms and practices here: http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/inspiration/map-your-assets...especially-creative-ones.-/ // http://www.artplaceamerica.org/articles/philadelphia/

0 Applaud Report this comment

Johan Löfström's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Johan Löfström

delete comment

December 08, 2011, 09:13PM

Mapping of pot holes and other eyesores could be made with my proposed concept and with the similar [Opencity] http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/concepting/opencity-bringing-open-source-princi/

0 Applaud Report this comment

Yuliya Gorlovetsky's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Yuliya Gorlovetsky

delete comment

December 09, 2011, 08:34PM

What a great idea. With this info-graphic, citizens can begin to take ownership of the future of the city. It can be a space to dream, as well as a platform to voice concerns. Seeing the different areas mapped out, can also highlight the potential of these different spaces.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Lindsay Wright

delete comment

December 07, 2011, 03:45AM

Great idea on how to use graphics to better a community. How could we make sure each community remained unique and not become a "cookie-cutter" type neighborhood or city?

0 Applaud Report this comment

Johan Löfström's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Johan Löfström

delete comment

December 08, 2011, 09:11PM

having an open design challenge to make local people design the actual infographics? so you will just need to collate and publish all the facts and figures in a neat little database for simple viewing/selection of what the designers would like to make a graph about: www.good.is/infographics www.coolinfographics.com

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Fereshteh A

delete comment

December 08, 2011, 01:23PM

This is fantastic!
It reminds me of an initiative started in Dubai, Dxb@Wrk (http://uaewrk.tumblr.com/) - where architects and urban planners get all kinds of information (satellite maps, pictures on location, testimonials) to then compile and analyze. This then allows them to assess what is being done with all the space, discuss alternatives, etc. It's brilliant because so few concepts are brought to life in a city that many leave after a short time. MENAlab walks (http://menaseries.org/?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=11) are also another approach to appreciating the city, as we try to organically (walking vs. driving!) create links between people, city, space and opportunity.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Alix Gerber

delete comment

December 07, 2011, 11:28PM

Just saw this London game that tracks your travel and suggests missions to help people engage with the city: http://vimeo.com/22023369 The idea of combining data tracking with games that encourage certain actions could be so cool!

3 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Anne-Laure Fayard

delete comment

December 07, 2011, 10:07PM

Nice concept indeed Amanda. I like the idea and also the way you are thinking of providing a broad overview and then the possibility to focus on neighborhood.
I like the way you are thinking of going from representation to change and action and engagement. Meena's suggestions of having a mapping interactive component is a great idea too.

Candy Chang is a great inspiration. I also like Eve Mosher Insert_here: http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/inspiration/insert_here/ You could even imagine people being to insert images of what they want online (if there was a mapping function).

On the mapping component and the safety option you discuss: http://projects.nytimes.com/crime/homicides/map

On the engagement and impact of infographics: http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/inspiration/tidy-street-changing-neighbors-behaviors-through-voluntary-monitoring-and-public-infographics/

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

birgit + michel

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 09:59PM

This is really interesting - maybe if there was a spice of some motivation trigger (reward - esteem - public heroes - or any other ...) the soup would be perfect :)

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Keven Truesdell

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 09:33PM

Infographics are a wonderful way to communicate with the residents, leaders, and other stakeholders. As with any form of communication, it's important to understand and define the message. If you go to Detroit (and talk to Kid Rock!), people will tell you about the potential. Infographics are a great way to communicate that to the stakeholders.

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Carrie Ellett

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 08:08PM

These infographics combined with the Vibrancy in a Box could be a great tool for citizens to use. If they are armed with information and the knowledge about how to create change, I can only imagine the solutions that could result.

2 Applaud Report this comment

Amanda Drescher's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Amanda Drescher

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 08:17PM

Thanks Carrie! I completely agree...

1 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions

Sarah Fathallah

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 06:46PM

Nice idea Amanda, great thoughts!

1 Applaud Report this comment

Amanda Drescher's reply to Amanda Drescher's comment

Amanda Drescher

delete comment

December 06, 2011, 08:16PM

Thanks Sarah!

0 Applaud Report this comment

I accept the terms and conditions