Gentrification is a major problem in many neighbourhoods in cities around the world. Groups of residents in Bristol, UK, have been organising to reclaim some of the land and properties vital to their community.
Sometimes, it feels like to only thing one should write about a found article is a huge heart emoji. This is such an article, but alas, a blog post needs to be more than an emoji.
Let’s start by “filing” this under a few ideas so that readers might better understand why this article on city administrations creating digital twins of their municipalities deserves their time. It’s kind of fascinating, it’s partially a new vision of smart cities, it’s quite aspirational so far (some might say it’s mostly hype), and it’s an intriguing topic where urbanism, architecture, challenges like the climate crisis, and gaming intersect.
Trees are one of those things that seem to be staring us right in the face and which we only now “rediscover” through renewed walks in parks during the pandemic, and the need to face the climate crisis, where trees have shown the ability “to reduce city temperatures, absorb carbon dioxide and soak up excess rainfall.”
Most people who have not taken a specific interest in the commons have likely come into contact with them through public spaces in a city, urban gardening plots, and of course Wikipedia. Although most of us don’t necessarily realise that’s what they are and don’t spend much time considering what that implies. Breathable air is another form of commons we’ve grown more aware of with pollution and of course COVID and protecting that shared air by using masks.
