Carlo Ratti: "Nowadays, residents have limited access to participate in the process of urban development"

Carlo Ratti is a founding partner of the Carlo Ratti Associati International Bureau of Design and Innovation and a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the last decade, he has given talks around the world on the topic of "Smart Cities", and his work has been exhibited internationally. Two of his projects – the Digital Water Pavilion and the Copenhagen Wheel – were named "The Best Inventions of the Year" by Time Magazine. He was included in Blueprint Magazine's "25 People Who will Change the World of Design" and Wired magazine's "Smart List: 50 People Who will Change the World."

Carlo Ratti is currently the Co–Chairman of the Global Council of the World Economic Forum on the Future of Cities and Urbanization. On the eve of his speech at the VIIIth International Forum and the 100+ Technobuild exhibition, he told how he came to study the topic of "Big Data", which urban technologies will be developed in the near future and what is the concept of Senseable Cities.

– Do you remember when the idea first occurred to you that some kind of digital technology could change the life of an entire city? Under what circumstances did this happen? What kind of technology was it?

– In 1859, Ildefons Cerda, who participated in the formation of Barcelona in its modern form, said in his book: "The construction of cities will soon become, if not already, a real science. This science will require serious and in-depth research into every area of human knowledge. In particular, the social sciences."

These words impressed me greatly when I was receiving my Ph.D. at Cambridge, and was also a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Laboratory in the early 2000s.  I realized that Big Data could revolutionize urban exploration and make Cerda's dream come true. It is now clear how far digital technologies have advanced since that time. In 2004, our MIT team was the first to publish a paper on the use of anonymous information from mobile phones to better understand urban dynamics. From one phone, it was possible to collect 10-20 locations daily, with an accuracy of several hundred meters. And in 2021, our smartphones already have GPS, which is able to track our actions every second with an accuracy of one meter. Research 17 years ago allowed us to look at the possibilities of Big Data in the context of cities, and now we see this evolution!

– Over the years that you have been studying the impact of digital technologies on cities, what are the main conclusions and discoveries that you have made for yourself?

– I can think of many projects, but I will mention three that are interesting for their contribution to society, not just the academic component. The first project, CopenhagenWheel, was created by the SenseableCity laboratory in collaboration with the Copenhagen authorities in 2009. It is a system with sensors that can be installed on a bicycle to track speed, direction of travel and distance traveled, as well as to collect data on air pollution. This project led to our first startup, Superpedestrian, which has now entered the global urban vehicle market.

The second project, HubCab 2013, collected data on more than 170 million taxi flights in New York City. Then we analyzed the existing patterns and assessed the potential of using transport for joint trips. These studies were then translated into UberPool and ExpressPOOL. Such shared taxi ride systems can help with unloading roads from cars, thus reducing traffic jams and pollution.

The third project, MinimumFleet– uses sensors and is developing a new model of transportation systems that can reduce the taxi fleet in New York by 40%. This project inspired us to create the DataDrive startup, which aims to revolutionize logistics through urban exploration.

– Can you name a few technologies that may not be very common now, but will become ubiquitous in the next decade? Why exactly will they become popular and what will they change in people's lives?

– In the context of transportation systems, I think that information can be used more comprehensively so that residents can choose the best transportation option when needed.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, micromobility (rental of bicycles and scooters) has been gaining more and more popularity among residents, along with trains and buses. All of this can be integrated into what I would call a "Transportation Network" – a single platform with information about various types of transport in real time, where residents can book different types of transport at the same time. You can ride a bike to the train station, take a train there, and upon arrival, an unmanned vehicle is already waiting to take you to your destination. Perhaps with such a system, people will be able to move from point "A" to point "B" more easily and efficiently.

– Do you think digital technologies will ever be able to penetrate those cities that are now considered backward? What will precede this?

– There are many examples of "leaps" when developing countries or regions find themselves ahead of those who were ahead before, and export their innovations to wealthier countries and regions. Africa, where telecommunications came later than other parts of the world, was one of the first to introduce mobile phones. The same thing happened with apps that help countries solve local problems with technology. These include mobile banks and interfaces for real-time crop health monitoring. Policies that encourage innovation and a bottom-up approach are among the main factors that precede growth.

– What steps should each person take to make the environment around them more stable? What do you think prevents people from taking these steps now?

– We need to accelerate the transformation of the urban environment. Big data can contribute to behavioral changes on an individual level. A clearly visualized range of data can motivate people to make smarter decisions for the sake of sustainability. 

In addition, residents have another important role. Imagine that a city is a laboratory with constant experiments. In this laboratory, people can test their ideas, realizing that flaws are a natural part of development. The opinions of the residents are discussed and carefully evaluated, and this constant feedback helps to understand which innovations to keep and which not.  This system has its roots in the times of Ancient Rome, where the city (urbs) was formed by a community of activists (civitas) who discussed urban development issues at open meetings.

Nowadays, residents have limited access to participate in the urban development process (a recent example is the failure of the Quayside project in Toronto, which was led by SideWalkLabs. I wrote about it at the World Economic Forum). In the future, initiatives should involve the public opinion more actively so that the chances of success are maximized.

– Let's say many years have passed, you have grown old and retired. What results of your work would you like to see?

– In my epigraph, I would like to see: "I fought for change. I have achieved some of them."

– What are you planning to talk about at 100+ Technobuild and why is this topic important?

– My presentation will be built around the concept of SenseableCities (Carlo's new term from English Sensible – "Tangible", "Reasonable" – Editor's Note). I like this term more than "smart cities" when it comes to the future of urban space. It has a double meaning. This is a city for people, where technology allows us to feel the city and live in it more intelligently. To achieve this, cities need to be equipped with "feeling" tools that will allow cities to change quickly, depending on the needs of residents. I will talk about this in the context of the current applications of Big Data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, as well as their potential development in the coming years.

"Feeling" is a topic that is especially important to discuss in our time. COVID has led to major and lightning–fast changes in many aspects of our lives, from movement to hygiene and so on. There are many technologies available to us, and we need to understand how to use these opportunities and develop the existing environment in the current time of "creative destruction."