[p2p-research] [P2P-URBANISM WA] NYU-Poly Introduces Betaville, Digital Tool to Revolutionize Public Planning

Fri Nov 19 01:03:50 CET 2010

Hi,

I'd love to write on this but things are at their busiest at the moment. I
am sharing with my team with hopes that we can collaborate on a post in the
next few weeks.

My initial thinking would be on the importance of making sure the
conversational tools and overall engagement strategy are just as
well-designed as the 3-D architectural tool. Otherwise, it will not have the
impact it was designed to have.

But thank you very much for sharing. Truly an amazing development that I did
not hear about through other channels, though I had heard ideas for this
sort of tool discussed often.

Best,
Matt

On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 5:03 PM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>wrote:

> hi matt,
>
> how are you?
>
> I was hoping that perhaps you could pen down something on this topic for
> the p2p blog,
>
> don't hesitate to offer anything else on your current activities,
>
> Michel
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Audun Engh <audun.engh at gmail.com>
> Date: Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 5:59 AM
> Subject: [P2P-URBANISM WA] NYU-Poly Introduces Betaville, Digital Tool to
> Revolutionize Public Planning
> To: p2p-urbanism-world-atlas at googlegroups.com
>
>
>
> http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/urban-planning-meets-online-gaming-105433288.html
>
> Audun Engh
> Oslo, Norway
>
> Urban Planning Meets Online Gaming
>  NYU-Poly Introduces Betaville, Digital Tool to Revolutionize Public
> Planning
>  <http://photos.prnewswire.com/prn/20091027/NY99197LOGO>
>
> Download image<http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnthumb/20091027/NY99197LOGO>
>
> NEW YORK, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 400 urban planners, designers,
> developers and architects today were invited to test and join in perfecting
> an online technology that may revolutionize the way public environments are
> designed and built. The program, called Betaville, was introduced at the Municipal
> Art Society's Summit for New York City <http://www.mas.org/> by Carl
> Skelton <http://bxmc.poly.edu/user/carlskelton>, assistant professor of
> digital media at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University(NYU-Poly) and one of the creators of Betaville.
>
> (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091027/NY99197LOGO )
>
> (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091027/NY99197LOGO )
>
> Betaville allows all stakeholders in a development project—from architects
> and builders to neighborhood residents — to participate in and influence the
> end result.
>
> By fusing the technology that drives online games such as Sim City, where
> users interact in a virtual world, with the type of modeling software used
> by urban developers, Betaville aims to revise the traditional urban
> development process. Rather than a closed-door environment where near-final
> proposals are revealed to the public, the Betaville process relies on the
> continual refinement of a design through group participation. Because it is
> so easy to use and provides quick 3D images that can be viewed from many
> angles, Betaville will encourage early, collaborative change. The program
> aims to reduce project time and cost and ease the friction that often arises
> between developers and communities.
>
> The program is scalable, and intended for use on small projects such as
> creating a bike lane or median, as well as major developments including
> green spaces, public art installations or construction of a sports or
> residential complex.
>
> Skelton, whose team at NYU-Poly developed Betaville in collaboration with
> the University of Applied Sciences<http://www.hs-bremen.de/internet/en/index/html>in Bremen,
> Germany, believes this open exchange will yield more dynamic,
> better-utilized public spaces. "This technology allows us to bridge the gap
> between the technical arm of urban development and the ultimate
> stakeholders—the people who live and work in the community," he said. "If a
> user-generated television network like YouTube is possible, why not
> user-generated cities?"
>
> Betaville is built on an open-source gaming engine and offers full-scale
> visualizations of communities that can be used as "base models" to propose
> changes to the environment. Within the virtual world, links can be embedded
> to information about the history of a site, zoning considerations and
> development proposals. Users can suggest changes, and these can be modeled
> directly in an alternate version of the world, where browsers are free to
> criticize, suggest and debate through a text forum.
>
> By issuing the open call for participation in the development of Betaville,
> its developers hope to hone its features and demonstrate its value for
> public arts, architecture and space projects.
>
> The development of Betaville is supported by a Cultural Innovation Fund<http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/new-york-city/nyc-cultural-innovation-fund/past-winners>grant by the Rockefeller Foundation. More information about Betaville is
> available at http://bxmc.poly.edu/betaville.
>
> *About Polytechnic Institute of New York University*
>
> Polytechnic Institute of New York University (formerly Polytechnic
> University), an affiliate of New York University, is a comprehensive
> school of engineering, applied sciences, technology and research, and is
> rooted in a 156-year tradition of invention, innovation and
> entrepreneurship: i-squared-e. The institution, founded in 1854, is the
> nation's second-oldest private engineering school. In addition to its main
> campus in New York City at MetroTech Center in downtown Brooklyn, it also
> offers programs at sites throughout the region and around the globe.
> Globally, NYU-Poly has programs in Israel, China and is an integral part
> of NYU's campus in Abu Dhabi. For more information, visit www.poly.edu.
>
> SOURCE Polytechnic Institute of New York University
> Back to top<http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/urban-planning-meets-online-gaming-105433288.html#linktopagetop>RELATED LINKS
> http://www.poly.edu
>
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-- 
Matt Cooperrider
Strategic Account Manager, Collabforge pty ltd
collaboration ~ mass collaboration ~ social software
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