Exploring the intersection of digital technologies and public space

Abstract

The sight of people using their mobile phones as they walk down the street and connecting to Wi-Fi via their laptops in public squares, as well as advertising by means of digital displays have become familiar scenes in the public realm in recent years. In light of the fact that digital media and information technologies nowadays form a major part of our everyday lives, what is emerging is a change in the very notion of public space and the way people use and view it. What is starting to be acknowledged in contemporary urban design is that there exists the potential to incorporate digital media into the design of public urban space in order to reenergise it. This blending of urban design and technology can result in spaces which are responsive to their users, create narratives and provide real time information, thus contributing a whole new dimension to the experience of the public realm. The recent introduction of Wi-Fi across the Maltese islands was a significant first step towards a local digitised urban landscape. However, Wi-Fi is digitisation at its most basic and in today's increasingly technological world it has become relevant for urban designers to look toward designing public spaces suitable for the twenty-first century, where technology is not a mere add-on but an integral part of the space. This study will thus be examining the various ways the digital and the physical can intersect and how a digital layer can enhance the experience of a public space. It will also look into the prospects of introducing such a layer in certain spaces in Malta. Ultimately the study is intended to be an exploration of these new forms of public space, the present and future possibilities of which urban designers and architects can no longer ignore.