#digitalurbanism is a combination of Augmented Reality (AR), Mobility Design and Urbanism. Digital improvements for the cities of tomorrow combining my academic work and my passion: Active Transportation / Urban Mobility a.k.a. Velo! (..I never liked the term Smart City (Clever & Smart) the city belongs to the people, ..not the cars.)
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Neustadt Hamburg, Architecture Summer Hamburg 2023
Mixity.app
Based on the work at the HCU with students in City Planning in 2021 this is the prototypical development of a Web based App (with the XR Standard) that allows a consumer oriented way of redistribution of public space (digital parklet).
Mixity.app is using the latest release of Web XR to enable the public to project their vision of a better used parking space onto a dedicated place in Hamburg, Germany. For 2 weeks in sunny May, regular walks took place (being part of the Hamburger Architektur Sommer helped..) and the marked parking spot was used for displaying virtual parklets.
The Technology used is Web XR, the standard for XR that is providing access to a whole range of new immersive media devices. At the same time it is supposed to deliver to a pretty simple smartphone with a respectable quality.
The last missing piece in the puzzle was the release of Apple Vision Pro, the moment that Apple had been waiting for to join Web XR Standard with its Safari Browser.
This happened simultaneously to the Mobility Conference Presentation (almost to the day!).
Mixity.app was also presented at the Urban Mobility Conference at HAW Hamburg in fall 2023 with great Interest by the crowd of Traffic and City Planners. The Life Demonstration took place on the yard in front of the Mobility Lab.
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LSBG Hamburg, BVM Hamburg, TU Dresden, Jenett.com
PrioBike-HH
Green Light Traffic Forecast GLOSA for Cyclists
Bringing together the University HCU with the Traffic Dept. of the TU Dresden plus the officials from the Hamburg Government led to a joint Venture that shows the capabilities of Hamburg as a Mobility Player in Germany and beyond. PrioBike-HH was presented at the ITS 2021 in Hamburg, the Transportation Olympics, as one of the best examples for a changing Mobility. To demonstrate the advantages of a green light forecast for bicyclists a demo and documentation where finished in little time.. (Many things had to be improvised, even the weather was primarily FX!). Furthermore Development of the App is now going on, but the initial idea has made clear that Digital has the power to Change the use of Streets!
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STEG (Stadtentwicklung Hamburg), Bezirk Nord
Mobilport Hamburg
Development of Mobility Station for the new Pergolenviertel in Hamburg Nord
https://pergolenviertel.hamburg/mobilport
Mobilport (Mobility Station in the Pergolenviertel Hamburg)
To design a Brand System for the Mobility Station that reflects the importance of a changing mobility and to present and explain this to new dwellers and the interested public was the aim of this project. Our Logo and Iconography are taken from a Transportation and Traffic Clarity oriented direction. The Location Symbol from digital maps symbolises the character of the special place.
Iconography System Mobility Alternatives
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Copenhagen with Copenhagenize
.. and Dr. Dirk Lau from the ADFC HH
Taking a trip to Copenhagen with the ADFC (Dr. Dirk Lau) to witness the positive qualities of the infrastructure there, and to be shown around by the Planners of Copenhagenize was the trip I documented in a video (on bicycle). The special solutions of Copenhagen are highlighted with Infographics.
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Velohamburg.com
Digital Public Decision Website for better Velotracks in Hamburg.
With Velohamburg.com a lot started in 2010.. I was giving a class in Motion Design at the BTK Hamburg, when a co-working prof mentioned a gathering that was about Cycling in Hamburg later that week… This was how I met Günther Reimers for the first time, the initiator of the Hamburg Rad Entscheid (nobody else showed up in the little cafe in Ottensen).
We discussed what to do to improve cycling in Hamburg, and made a plan to ask the city (with 10 000 votes online) for a statement to the Velorouten Hamburgs, a network of cycling ways through the city that got never finished for multiple decaces.
We made a Brand for the Velorouten, Street Signs, a website, and also gathered subscribers and made them sign a vote for better Velorouten in Hamburg, all on the Website Velohamburg.com (2015). The site is allowing to subscribe and vote and shows a public calender. All not very fancy now, but by that time some of the political elements were pretty new. Nevertheless, after half a year of campaigning, the Grünen moved back into the Senat of Hamburg on a call for (amongst others) better Velorouten, so we stalled our Campaign.
A couple of good things came out for me, first of all: Velohamburg.com was sold to the Berlin Company Velokonzept organising big Bicycle Fairs and more. Ulrike Sade and I became friends! Second, I realised that still way to little was happening for New Mobility (Velo) in Hamburg and in the whole world, so it was a starting spark for the combination of my Design with my Belief of a better future with cycling (..which has been the fuel of my work).
Neustadt Management Hamburg
Al Fresco
Street Demarkation System for Distance Keeping at the Neustadt Festival (+)
In the Corona Pandemic it was necessary to keep distance to one another; 1.5 Meters minimum. To enable this, and still allow for some public life we developed a Graphic Marker System that got painted on the floor. The idea was to apply a GRID on the street that just indicates 1.5 Meters. Much to our joy we discovered that people stick to signage and directions subconsciously.
Our proof of concept was the Demonstration of Fridays for Future on the 6 Lane Ludwig Erhard Straße, where we also applied the GRID before the event. The Participants used the crosses to stay apart.
Neustadt Hamburg
OstWest Move
Public Demonstration with Color Coded Umbrellas and Augmented Reality
This event (demonstration) gave the public an opportunity to show their preferred way of mobility on one of the main streets through Hamburg (Magistralen). By picking a coloured UMBRELLA for the walk, the choice of a better vehicle was manifested. Additionally, a claim could be connected to that Umbrella and displayed with Smart Phones and later studied online. With this method also an anonymous voting was held, the results speak a clear language! 🙂
Some of the Claims
.. And also these Seminars and Lectures paid into these
Award winning Startup for Replacement of the famous Hamburger Bicycle Hut
Velovend.net
Hamburg has in the 1980s invented a Parking Garage (Fahrradhäuschen) for Cyclists that lacked a place to safely store their bike at home (supported by the early green political movement). 30 years later it was time to update this idea, turned out to be more difficult and interesting than I would have thought.
The Concept won multiple awards and has been applauded by many!
So more to come soon…
Winning Festival Contribution
Velo 360°
360° Motion Design showing the use of Smart Glasses while navigating traffic
This Project (in 2017) is an early prototype for Street Changes with a 360 degree Vision. The projected Velotrack goes into the Hafencity Areal of Hamburg, also to make fun of the biggest construction site in Europe, where the planners had forgotten to implement cycle lanes on the Streets. It can be watched with the view of the cyclist, and street demarkation (navigation arrows and marks) are visible along the way. At the same time the cyclist can turn around and watch the traffic behind him..