UrbanitiesLab (© 2015-2020)

The UrbanitiesLab is an initiative to explore, theorize, and engage with people on their experiences with social media and other aware technologies affecting information interactions, engagement, and learning in 21st century smart cities.

Responsive & Interactive

The UrbanitiesLab fosters spaces for discussion and action about open, vibrant, people-interactive, responsive, livable, and sustainable cities.

Current Activities on Smart Cities

  • Seeing Smart Cities Through a Multi-Dimensional Lens: Perspectives, Relationships, and Patterns for Success. Springer. 2021.
  • Visibilities and Invisibilities in Smart Cities: Emerging Research and Opportunities. IGI Global. 2021

Previous Activities & Events on Smart Cities

  • HCII2020 Paper on Adaptability and attuning in smart cities: Exploring the HCI grand challenge of learning and creativity (July 2020)
  • Journal article, Human-Smart Environment Interactions in Smart Cities: Exploring Dimensionalities of Smartness, Future Internet, special issue, Smart Cities, Innovation, and Multi-Dimensionality (April 2020)
  • Book Chapter, Awareness and smart city implementations: Sensing, sensors, and the IoT in the public sector. In J. R. Gil Garcia, T. A. Pardo, and M. Gascó (Eds.). Beyond smart and connected governments: Sensors and the Internet of Things in the public sector. Springer, Public Administration and Information Technology (PAIT). (March 2020)
  • FICC2020 Paper on Urban sensibilities, sharing and interactive public spaces: In search of a good correlation for information and communication in smart cities (March 2020)
  • IHSI2020 Paper on Beyond confluence, integration and symbiosis: Creating more aware relationships in smart cities (February 2020)
  • HCII2019 Presentation on Getting smarter about data and access in smart cities (July 2019)
  • CSC2019 Reflections on evolving urban correlations for connected smart cities (July 2019)
  • Ambient Urbanities as the Intersection Between the IoT and the IoP in Smart Cities. IGI Global. 2019.
  • Data, Special Issue - Big Data Challenges in Smart Cities,  Innovating metrics for smarter, responsive cities, March 2019
  • Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2018 Presentation on Exploring the quantified experience: Finding spaces for people and their voices in smarter, more responsive cities Nov 2018
  • HCII2018 Presentation on Creativity & ambient urbanizing at the intersection of the Internet of Things & People in smart cities (July 2018)
  • Collaboration in the 1st Victoria Design Nerds Jam, Upcycled Urbanism: How Might We Upcycle &/or Memorialize the Blue Bridge? (Mar 2018)
  • Smart Cities & Learning Cities booth at Discover Tectoria featuring a local smart city project (Feb 2018)
  • VICTA2017 Presentation on Adaptive reuse of cultural heritage elements and fragments in public spaces: The Internet of Cultural Things (IoCTs) and applications as infrastructures for learning in smart cities (Dec 2017)
  • iCERi2017 Presentation on Re-conceptualizing jobs, work & labour: Transforming learning for more creative economies in 21st century smart cities (Nov 2017)
  • HCII2017 Presentation on Civic Tech & Ambient Data in the Public Realm (July 2017)
  • Course on Learning Cities (24 May 2017)
  • ​Invited Speaker (Oct 2016): Emerging Green Builders for Smarter Cities/Communities
  • Workshop (PreConference, April 2016): BCNET2016
  • Workshop (Jan 2016): CitySmarts

Upcoming ...

What: Article (2021)

Title: The importance of theory for understanding smart cities: Making a case for ambient theory. Best Paper Award, International Conference on Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Computing

Where: HCII 2021, Washington, DC, USA (virtual)

When: July 2021.

  ______________________________________

What: Article (In Press)

Title: Is ambient theory for smart cities even a theory? An affirmative assessment.

Where: FTC 2021, Vancouver, BC, Canada

When: October 2021.
You are invited to participate in an Urban exploration currently in progress where you are able to Share your Experiences & Assessments of Smart Cities. 
Please contact Patricia McKenna, Principal Investigator (PI) for more information about the study.

An Invitation to Explore Learning Cities and Smart Cities
Experiences & Assessments 
​​A Contemporary Urban Exploration


For more information about the UrbanitiesLab please contact the Director, Patricia McKenna