Hamar Experience #5 with Bjarte Ytre-Arne and Terje Berg was one of my favourites; how can TECHNOLOGY make public spaces a more collective and interactive experience?
Personally, I don’t know how I could live without the app’s on my mobile. Anytime before I need to get anywhere, I “scan it” with my mobile! First thing I check is the current weather (yeah I know, it rains a lot), then I look for how to get there (hmm no metro in Hamar, yet!), and finally , I go see what is happening! To be honest, I might be a technology addict, but I am far of being technology savvy, as Terje proved by sending me these great app’s for the mobile: Wikitude, Yelp, layer and Metro Paris Subway. Man! augmented reality?? I’m definitely behind..
But back to Hamar! According to Terje, we already have a great electronic infrastructure in town, and much more. But what can make the difference in making Hamar a flourishing city? Read this post written by Terje Berg and tell us what you think about it!
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I remember some years back. I was a relative newcomer in Hamar, having moved here in 1998. On my way back from Madrid and the “World Development Federation’s 1999 Global Super Projects Conference” one of the initiators of the conference—McKinley Conway—had sent me a report entitled “Development Goals for Urban Areas that Wish to Become World-Class Cities in the Years Just Ahead”. In this article Conway presented the results he had gathered after studying around 100 global areas of growth, and in true american manner he listed the “10 main criteria for why a region will prosper.” They were, and I quote:
“1. Water. A city with great prospects for the future can have its hope shattered by a water shortage. It is absolutely essential to have a more-than-adequate supply.
2. International airport. There must be a fully equipped international airport offering flights to major global cities. There must be space adjacent to the airport for growth of an “airport city.”
3. Hinterland connections. There must be transport routes that effectively link the city to its hinterland. Circumferential highways are the preferred system.
4. Domed stadium. In order to attract major world events there must be an enclosed stadium offering comfortable seating in any weather.
5. Technology center. There must be a center of excellence in several fields of technology. This technology hub must bring together top scientists from academic, government, and private organizations.
6. Communications center. The city must be wired to accommodate the mushrooming global flow of voice and data communications.
7. Public transportation. There must be an efficient rapid-transit system to serve all elements of the population. Increasing traffic congestion is the bane of every city!
8. Waste disposal. It is no longer acceptable to dispose of urban wastes via landfills. Cities must install sophisticated new resource-recovery systems.
9. Green infrastructure. Whatever plans and projects are undertaken, cities must provide for a substantial amount of permanent open space, including such elements as parks, golf courses, riding academies, and forests.
10. New political mechanisms. Many of the items on this agenda are big projects that cross many jurisdictional lines. In many cases, a new political arrangement is needed.”
As I was sitting reading this on the train from Gardermoen to Hamar, it struck me with force that out of Conways 10 criteria, 8 or 9 of them described the area I had just settled in!
All that was missing (then) was a combination of # 10, combined with a will to actually make a difference.
Have we found that will now?
