My Suggestions for Improving Auckland City

The brief for this week’s blog was to take photos of ubiquitous media encounters around the city. I completely forgot to do that. So, instead I’ve decided to do some drawings based on ideas for how Auckland City might be improved through technologies (gotta love a bit of utopian technological solutionism). I haven’t thought too much about how realistic or practical these ideas are. I wanted to use the creative part of my brain and that required putting the ever-restricting-but-totally-important critical thinking part on mute. Also, please excuse the lack of talent/understanding of depth and perspective: I can’t draw very well, but wanted to give it a go anyway. (Click on the photos to enlarge.)

1. Recycling bins with digital readers that will only allow the right kind of recycling through the slots (avoids people putting rubbish into recycling bins or the wrong kind of recycling in). My Mum suggested a mechanical fist should pop out and punch anyone who tries to put rubbish in them in the face. This, to me, seems like a workable suggestion from Ma.

2 (above). AT Hop card activated bike rentals. Speaks for itself, really. Small charge for bike rental upon “tagging on” that gets credited back to your account when you return the bike and “tag off”.

3. Weather sensitive bus shelters. Waiting in bus shelters is currently a very uncomfortable experience and could be preventing people from taking the bus (making it easier for them to choose the comfort of the polluting private motor vehicle instead). Bus shelters therefore need to be much more luxurious. I forgot to add a capacity for internal heating in winter months. A crucial mistake on my part. Future sketches will include solar powered heating facilities.

4. Separated cycleways marked by holographic barriers. Holographic barriers would avoid the need to put in physical barriers (like curbing or posts) between cyclists and motorists, but would still look opaque enough to motorists that cyclists will be protected. Holograms should really come in the coolest array of colours possible. Alternatively, they could also be made to look like plants or other “natural” barriers.

5. Public art spaces with digital tool capability. I really like the idea of lots of public spaces where anyone can come and make art. I think it would be cool if these spaces allowed people to use both ‘traditional’ art and digital art methods. The spaces would therefore need to have some sort of digital interface capacity. Ideally, once the digital artwork was complete, the tool in use (e.g: Adobe Photoshop) would retract (somehow?) so it could no longer be visible. I can hear whispers about the potential for corporate enclosure through these digital tools (Hello, Adobe!), but I’m ignoring this rude, interruptive behaviour from the part of my brain that’s meant to be quiet today.

6. Most importantly of all suggestions, the dogspeak app: an app for people who try to avoid human contact as they move through the city but are more than happy to speak to other people’s doggies. I have not copyrighted this ingenious-yet-absolutely-doable invention yet, so if I see this on the market in coming weeks or months, I’ll know that one of you stole it!