Data-driven approaches using ubiquitous computing have the potential to democratize and decentralize urban planning and policy decisions, arguably making cities “smarter” and more connected. But what is the origin of this data? Whose lives do the data represent? Who has access to data from which to make recommendations for more equitable communities?
Mobile City Science (MCS) is a community-based design and research project to understand and create new forms of techno-civic engagement for young people using mobile and location-based tools in their own neighborhoods. This four-part panel will share collective work from two cities engaging young people in MCS.
First, Katie Headrick Taylor will share the origins, purpose, and theoretical basis for MCS. MCS originated as a collaboration with a bike workshop in a southern U.S. city to examine youth mobility deserts, leveraging geospatial applications and mobile devices for young people to map and visualize their activities within the places they frequent most. Young people used wearable cameras, GPS, and GIS technologies to access and use maps on-the-move and to annotate and create counter-maps of their communities.
Next, Digital Youth Network (DYN) will share insights from MCS implementation in a freshman science class at a public high school in Chicago. DYN will focus on project adaptations made to better align with the intentions and infrastructure at the school site, and on unique student efforts to use counter-maps to tell their own stories and change existing narratives of their community.
Third, the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) will share MCS as part of its larger Queens 20/20 effort, focused on building an ecosystem for STEM learning in the local Corona community and creating a model for broad and deep networks of STEM-rich learning opportunities. The MCS project is located within the International High School for Health Sciences, a NYSCI partner, offering students the opportunity to explore the nearby densely populated and racially diverse immigrant community.
The presentation will conclude with synthesis comments from the current MCS external evaluator who will address project themes, mobile learning implications, and the importance of techno-civic engagement for the DML community.