Smart City Suggestions:
1. Rain water pond used for irrigation
2. Solar powered lights in park spaces
3. App for monitoring traffic in Portland (provides best routes for walking, driving, biking, etc. taking into account events, closed roads, and rush hour traffic)
4. App for Parking (Tells available parking times, locations, and cost)
5. App for Festivals, Concerts, etc schedule (what events are occurring and the details about each event)

Portland, Maine already has the necessary urban infrastructure to build a stronger, more networked system, which will help the transformation into a “smarter” city. In Greenfield’s Against the Smart City, he states that the typical “smart city” can refer to a “far more consequential drive to retrofit networked information technologies into existing urban places” [1], though this is not always the case. In fact, Greenfield argues that a city that relies too heavily on technology is unrealistic. Instead, when building smart cities, one should take into account the unpredictable and flawed nature of cities and their efficiency.
Listed above are five ideas  that would help create a “better” Portland. I am defining a “better” city as one that would provide an efficiently running, more connected, people-friendly cultural setting. The majority of these ideas rely on the technology of some sort of smart phone, such as the apps that can connect and update people with events occurring in Portland. However, the suggestion I am going to focus on in detail is the addition of a rain water pond used for irrigation [2].
When visiting Portland, I noticed a fountain located in a park that was lacking in both aesthetics and functionality. A solution to this would be creating a pond that could support aquatic life, while also naturally filtering and collecting water to reuse for irrigation for other plants in the park. This would be aesthetically pleasing for visitors of the park because it can host plants and provide the same satisfaction as viewing a water fountain. Additionally, in the September 3, 2014 Portland Council Meeting, the members discussed repairing the current water treatment system of the Stormwater Outfall at Capisic Pond Park [3], which could also benefit from a water collection pond. This addition could be routed to collect small amounts of run-off from areas in the park, which would help reduce the amount of run-off left at Capisic Pond Park in an environmentally friendly way. Although this pond is not “smart” in a typical technological manner, it is smart in that it runs efficiently in an innovative way. The pond not only contributes to the beautification of the park, but also provides an efficient solution to controlling water run-off and supporting the irrigation system in a park.

1. Greenfield, Adam (2013-12-20). Against the smart city (The city is here for you to use) (Kindle Locations 119-120).
2. This idea was actually inspired by the Aquatic Pond and Rainwater Harvesting System at Yale University’s Environmental Studies building.
3. Portland Regular City Council Meeting (September 3, 2014). http://portlandmaine.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/09032014-583 (Accessed 9/25/14).

Smart City Suggestions:

• Reconfiguring traffic space as public space:  Using longitudinal data about traffic patterns (I don’t know if this exists yet), the city could open and close streets to allow for more public space.  If certain streets get very little traffic, they could be repurposed as plazas.  I know they did this in many major squares in Manhattan and it really improved both traffic and the quality of the area.  The September 15^th City Council Meeting made reference to the opening and closing of streets temporarily for festivals, it would be cool to seem them do this full time (City of Portland, 24).
• Interactive public art:  It would be really interesting to see Portland’s public spaces integrate more public art, particularly interactive or “smart” art.  We all remember the sad little fountain on our walking tour, wouldn’t it be great if the fountain could sense movement and put on special shows as people walked by?  Or a sidewalk that played music to the beat you were walking?
• Indoor public spaces:  Portland needs more indoor public spaces and atriums that would give a place for people to relax and socialize in the winter months.  Thinking of a “smart” indoor public space made me think of Songdo’s smart buildings.  These buildings could be designed as low environmental impact, with special temperature control mechanisms (maybe even those fancy shades).  It could also be a central information hub, with screens giving information on the weather, transportation, traffic and world news.
• Interactive history tours:  Many students suggested that they wanted more information about the history of the city and historic landmarks.  Similar to the interactive public art idea, it would be great to have interactive history tours.  Screens dispersed throughout the city could give you information about the site, show historical pictures, and tell stories.  This could be similar to the bricks project we saw during the walking tour, except they could constantly update, with people submitting their own stories.
• A public space events app: An app advertising events could make public spaces less of a placeholder and more of a destination.  Public spaces could host concerts, public theater, children’s workshops, and sponsored events from local organizations.  This would help these spaces gain a reputation as vibrant locales.  The app could also feature more day-to-day information, like which food trucks will be in which square when.

I think the most exciting suggestion would be the interactive history tours.  The kiosks could support of a host of activities – facts, photos, and serve as a platform to share stories and experiences.  It gives Portland a sense of places, teaching residents and tourists about the history of the area.  It fosters a sense of community and acts as a virtual artwork through the sharing of stories.  It would also help brand Portland as a cutting edge “smart” city.  In relation to public space, it incentivizes spending time on the sidewalks, and treats the street as not just a thoroughfare to walk but a place to spend time in, appreciate and interact with.

Greenfield’s notion that the smart city is built in generic space and time made me realize how important the location and history of a city really is (Greenfield*).  While a new smart city may be placed anywhere, generic versatility would totally neglect Portland’s unique charm.  That is why I think learning about the constantly-updating history of the city is so important when experiencing it.  Greenfield’s critique of smart cities as “pretending” to “perfect knowledge that are nowhere achievable” made my shy away from suggestions that were too far reaching.  Greenfield states: that algorithms used to design smart cities suggest “there is one and only one universal and transcendently correct solution to each identified individual or collective human need,” and that this can stifle diversity or malfunction (Greenfield).  The kiosks don’t carry this risk because they are about fostering the creative and human aspects of the city.  The September 15^th City Council Meeting did not address any creative aspects of the city – it was only concerned with permits, development and maintenance of infrastructure.  I would be nice to change this.

On a completely unrelated note, why/how are they able to publically publish the criminal records of a man trying to get a liquor license for his restaurant? (City of Portland, 49)

Sources:

• Greenfield, Adam. 2013. Against the Smart City. 1.3 edition. Do projects.
  * I couldn’t get page numbers on the Kindle.
• City of Portland. Regular City Council Meeting: September 15^th, 2014. Portland, ME: September 15^th, 2014.