Enhancing places through technology

Abstract

Fostering knowledge about the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies and Public Spaces supported by strategies to improve their use. CyberParks Project, funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Programme | COST TU 1306 - www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/tud/TU1306), is a collaborative research platformfor knowledge and experiences exchange on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to promote participatory urban design processes and the production of inclusive public open spaces. CyberParks is devoted to explore the contribution of ICTs to transform our cities into more social environments, rather than just more high-tech. In April 2016 CyberParks organised the mid-term research event ICiTy - Enhancing places through technology, in Valletta, Malta, focused on the opportunities and challenges to public spaces brought about by the advancements of ICTs. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to synthesise the current ‘state of the art’, which is now reflected in this collection. It presents interdisciplinary perspectives, analysis of newmethodologies, new theoretical or conceptualmodels for the digital era, as well as preliminary studies of peoples’ use of, and engagement with, technology in public spaces.