1. Center for the Integration of Technological Innovation and Evolutionary Science of Cities (CITIES2)
Jonathan Fink, Vivek Shandas, and Fletcher Beaudoin Portland State University, Portland, Oregon )
INTRODUCTION
The Center for the Integration of Technological Innovation and Evolutionary Science of Cities (CITIES2) is a multi-institutional, multi-sector initiative that brings together a wide range of activities designed to (1) help cities better link their data collection, classification, storage, analysis, and presentation in order to promote more effective decision-making; and (2) promote more meaningful comparisons of lessons learned among different cities. CITIES2 relies upon virtual instruments called Metroscopes to accomplish these twin goals.
Indicators image:
Portland Image:
Senseable cities lab:
Decision theatre:
Jearth:
Seattle:
Portland:
San Fran:
C40:
Green cities: siemens green index
Final image: (upper right hand corner):
CITIES2 is building on recent studies of hundreds to thousands of cities by Santa Fe Institute and other partners hinting at previously unrecognized universal correlations and scientific principles.
Metroscopes include a set of decision-support tools to give the public and other stakeholders several means to better engage with and provide feedback on urban land use change scenarios (ASU’s Decision Theater pictured).
The project is connecting individual cities such as Portland with global initiatives such as C40 and the Siemens Green Cities Index that include dozens to hundreds of cities. The involvement of multiple stakeholders, such as foundations, corporations, universities, and international agencies ensures that the Metroscope provides robust datasets and scenarios to address broad sustainability objectives such as greenhouse gas reduction or biodiversity preservation.
One part of each Metroscope is a massive open-source, Java-based database called J-Earth, derived from a comparable system (JMARS) developed by Arizona State University’s (ASU) Mars Space Flight Facility.
The growing realization of the central role played by cities in addressing global challenges has led to an intense interest in standardized urban metrics. The Global City Indicators Facility (image above) from University of Toronto is a leading effort in this area.
Setting up and testing a Metroscope for one city (Portland) is the initial step toward comparing how pairs and small groups of cities can directly translate and import the results of each other’s practices. The aim is to achieve and enhance specific policy objectives and engagement efforts, while beginning to define the common mechanisms underlying urban change dynamics. Portland, London and Phoenix (shown above) are providing the initial basis for in-depth intercity comparisons.
Water Use in Portland (OR) by Census Block (2005, annual, Source: Water Bureau)
Land Use and Transportation in Portland (OR)
(2002, Source: Metro)
Data from users and agencies provides an integrated description of the ‘behavioral landscape’ of a region, which in turn offers a foundation for spatially-explicit examination of plausible scenarios for land use change and citizen involvement. Portland is the first test site for the Metroscope approach. Other likely participants include Phoenix, Boston, London, Delhi, and Stockholm.
The Center is partnering with MIT’s SENSEable City Lab and University College London’s Centre for Advanced Spatial Modeling, where engagement processes are providing new insights about applying dynamic datasets derived from visualization platforms, cell phones and social media
Water Use (top set) and Vegetation (bottom set, total amount and distribution) by Neighborhood Scale in Portland (OR)
(Source: Water Bureau, City of Portland)