PSDS
3502
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Fall 2011
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Faculty:
Elizabeth Barry
Urban Sensing introduces students to the design challenge of engaging slowly-changing urban ecosystems that demand our rapid attention. Humans are still learning to live in cities and many of our critical ecosystem processes have either been made invisible or we don_t have the apparatus to sense them. In this class we will design ways that these critical ecosystem processes can become legible, relevant and sensible in everyday life. To do this we will explore ecological concepts of onset, event and release, design parameters of scale, fit and measure as well as social science tools of sampling, monitoring and feedback. Students will develop a design project that can adapt, anticipate or even inspire ecosystem change through situated action. The challenge will be to create new design knowledge rather than simply fixing problems. Students in Urban Sensing will have experience with both quantitative (mathematical and experimental methods) and qualitative research methods and a developed visual sensitivity. Students will be able to make connections between concept and media and have acquired additional technical skills, perceptual development and visual organizational skills, and the ability to express thoughts and concepts in more than one media.
