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Editorial in special issue of Volume Magazine for MAB20

With my fellow co-organizers of MAB20, I wrote an editorial article for Volume Magazine #59 – special issue “Futures Implied”. In this article, we depart from several recent controversies around smart cities to raise some urgent issues around media technologies in the city that center around (a clash in) public values. In this editorial, I framed today’s urban situation as follows: “…cities are caught up in a double whammy between technological and societal challenges.”: From a critical vantage point, by now, these new urban technologies have been criticized for spurring the dystopian logics of ‘three Cs’: Control by states and […] Read More

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Presentation at the Data Justice Conference 2021

Corelia Baibarac-Duignan presented online at the Data Justice Conference 2021 on behalf of both of us. We submitted an abstract long time ago (mid Dec. 2019), before Corona, but of course then all events had to be cancelled or postponed, so this event took place online in May 2021. The presentation was a pre-recorded one, in the “Civic responses, activism and countercultures” track. Abstract “From controversies to controversing: infrastructuring civic participation in the datafied smart city” Corelia Baibarac-Duignan & Michiel de Lange | Utrecht University, Department of Media and Culture Studies  In this paper we propose the concept of controversing as […] Read More

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New paper “Data with its boots on the ground: Datawalking as research method”

Together with my colleague Karin van Es, I wrote a paper about datawalking as a method for doing research on the datafication of urban life. The paper appears in the European Journal of Communication, in a special issue guest edited by Stine Lomborg, Lina Dencik, and Hallvard Moe. It’s Open Access, and can be found here >> Abstract This article explores datawalking as a novel method in media and communication research for studying datafication. Drawing from existing literature, datawalking is characterized as an embodied, situated and generative practice. These affordances of walking help to tackle existing research challenges and connect lived […] Read More

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New contribution in “The Routledge Companion to Smart Cities”

Colleagues Katharine Willis and Alessandro Aurigi have just published the edited volume “The Routledge Companion to Smart Cities“. In this compendium, Martijn de Waal, Matthijs Bouw and me co-wrote a chapter about our experiences in The Hackable City project. Here’s the TOC, which looks like a great set of chapters: Table of Contents 1.      Introduction Alessandro Aurigi and Katharine S. Willis Part 1: Smart City Governance Section 1: Urban governance, data and participatory infrastructure 2. A City is Not Computer (with Editorial Introduction) Shannon Mattern 3. Bias in Urban Research: From Tools to Environments Mark Shepard 4. Urban Science: Prospect and […] Read More

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Chairing two new special interest groups

In the last few months, two Utrecht University special interest groups were awarded, of which I am the lead: Special interest group “Inclusion in the Datafied City“, as part of the Utrecht University focus area “Governing the Digital Society“. Special interest group “Playful Cities“, as part of the Utrecht University focus area “Game Research“. More info about both below: 1) Inclusion in the datafied city Modern cities are datafied cities. The Special Interest Group Inclusion in the Datafied City researches how data can contribute in strengthening civic participation and public values in the smart city. THE KEY ROLE OF DATA Data, and […] Read More

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[urban interfaces] graduate seminar series on Urban Ecologies

Together with colleagues Nanna Verhoef and Sigrid Merx, I am one of the organizers of the 3rd edition of the [urban interfaces] graduate seminar (2019-2020). This year’s theme is Urban Ecologies. URBAN ECOLOGIES: The [urban interfaces] graduate seminar 2019-2020 Dates: February 11 and 25, and March 10, 2020. Time and Venue: 13.15-17.00 @ Jankskerkhof 15, room 101, Utrecht (for session 1) & MCW Lab, Muntstraat 2A, Utrecht (for sessions 2 and 3). Credits: 3 ECTS (for RMa Studentes and PhD Candidates only, MA students who want to obtain ECTS can contact Dr Nanna Verhoeff for more information). The seminar series […] Read More

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Final presentations MA students New Media & Digital Culture project “Cirque du Data”, 31 Oct 2019

How to involve citizens in discussion around the datafication of their city? That’s the main question of the cultural project Cirque du Data, initiated by Utrecht-based data design office CLEVER°FRANKE and city lab RAUM. As part of the methodology course Research Lab 1 that I’m teaching at Utrecht University, we are partaking in the project. On Thursday 31 October 2019 14:30 – 17:00 we will have the final presentations by our students. Venue: Pathe Leidsche Rijn / Cinemec, Berlijnplein 100, 3541 CM Utrecht.    

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Special Issue Leonardo Electronic Almanac on “Urban Interfaces”

The [urban interfaces] research group, composed of Nanna Verhoeff, Sigrid Merx and Michiel de Lange, have co-edited a special issue in Leonardo Electronic Almanac, titled “Urban Interfaces: Media, Art and Performance in Public Spaces”. We are currently wrapping up the last tidbits. See the special issue on the LEA website >>. In this collection of essays, we advance the notion of urban interfaces to explore how situated media, art, and performances (co-)constitute and (co-)construct the public spaces of our mediatized cities. Central is the question how urban interfaces may act as privileged sites to negotiate contemporary frictions in and about these […] Read More

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Presenting “Designing for Controversies in Responsible Smart Cities” at #BeyondSmartCitiesToday conference

On 19 Sept. 2019, I was invited to talk about our research project “Designing for Controversies in Responsible Smart Cities“, at the event Beyond Smart Cities Today, organized by Centre for BOLD Cities. Very well organized and great lineup with – among others – the following speakers: Rob Kitchin (Maynooth University) Ayona Datta (University College London) Alberto Vanolo (University of Turin) Maria Kaika (University of Amsterdam) Willem Schinkel (Erasmus University Rotterdam) Bianca Wylie (Tech Reset Canada & #BlockSidewalk) Michiel de Lange (Utrecht University) Carina Listerborn (University of Malmö) Linda Kool (Rathenau Institute) Liesbet van Zoonen (Erasmus University, LDE Centre for BOLD […] Read More

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WIP: Special Issue Leonardo Electronic Almanac on Urban Interfaces

Together with [urban interfaces] colleagues Nanna Verhoef & Sigrid Merx, I am co-editing a special issue in Leonardo Electronic Almanac, titled “Urban Interfaces: Media, Art and Performance in Public Spaces”. The issue is still work in progress, but a number of contributions by various authors have already been posted on the LEA website >>. In this collection of essays, we advance the notion of urban interfaces to explore how situated media, art, and performances (co-)constitute and (co-)construct the public spaces of our mediatized cities. Central is the question how urban interfaces may act as privileged sites to negotiate contemporary frictions […] Read More

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Call for Conference Contributions “Beyond Smart Cities Today”

Jiska Engelbert at Erasmus University Rotterdam is organizing a very interesting event (18 and 19 September, 2019) at which I will be speaking. See call here: https://www.centre-for-bold-cities.nl/beyond-smart-cities-today. Beyond Smart Cities Today Call for Conference Contributions Conference title          Beyond smart cities today When?                         18 and 19 September, 2019 Where?                        Rotterdam, The Netherlands Hosts                           Centre for BOLD Cities, Erasmus Institute for Public Knowledge, Knowledge Lab Urban Big Data, Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens. Queries and abstracts to    Jiska Engelbert, engelbert@eshcc.eur.nl Deadline abstracts              […] Read More

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New book chapter “The Right to the Datafied City: Interfacing the Urban Data Commons”

Just out, a new chapter in this great looking edited volume: de Lange, Michiel. 2019. “The right to the datafied city: Interfacing the urban data commons.” In The Right to the Smart City, edited by Paolo Cardullo, Cesare Di Feliciantonio and Rob Kitchin, 71-83. Bingley: Emerald.     Publication day for ‘The Right to the Smart City’ book edited by @kiddingthecity, Cesare Di Feliciantonio & @RobKitchin published by Emerald. Focuses on smart cities, rights, citizenship, social justice, commons, civic tech, participation, ethics https://t.co/I8VCEx2pyc pic.twitter.com/YkOyEq9NkO — Rob Kitchin (@RobKitchin) June 7, 2019 Includes chapters by @trolleytweet, Jiska Engelbert, Alberto Vanolo, @mdelange, […] Read More

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Book launch 14 May 2019 17:00 – 18:30 “The Playful Citizen” @Spui25

Book launch 14 May 2019 17:00 – 18:30 “The Playful Citizen:Civic Engagement in a Mediatized Culture” Spui25 in Amsterdam >>  In cooperation with Amsterdam University Press and the Utrecht Center for Game Research Program 17:00 Welcome – Michiel de Lange (Utrecht University – moderator) 17:05 Intro Sybille Lammes (Leiden University) 17:20 Jeroen Jansz (Erasmus University Rotterdam) 17:35 Joost Raessens (Utrecht University) 17:50 Ingrid Hoofd (Utrecht University) 18:05 panel discussion & Q&A 18:30 Close + drinks   How can digital games encourage and develop civic engagement? Can players be turned into ecological citizens? And could games revise oppressive social structures? This playful […] Read More

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2-Year fulltime postdoc vacancy NWO project “Designing for Controversies in Responsible Smart Cities”

Work with me as a postdoc at Utrecht University in this project: Direct link to job description >> Postdoc position in project “Designing for Controversies in Responsible Smart Cities” (1.0 FTE) Description: We are looking for a Postdoc researcher (2 years, fulltime) who has experience and/or affinity with smart cities, datafication, public values, and design. You will be working at Utrecht University under the supervision of Dr. Michiel de Lange in the collaborative project “Designing for Controversies in Responsible Smart Cities”. The project is funded by NWO as part of the Smart Culture – Creative Cities call. The overall Project […] Read More

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New publication: “CyberParks – The Interface Between People, Places and Technology”

Yet another new co-edited volume out this year. Available Open Access.  Costa, Carlos Smaniotto, Ina Šuklje Erjavec, Therese Kenna, Michiel de Lange, Konstantinos Ioannidis, Gabriela Maksymiuk, and Martijn de Waal, eds. 2019. CyberParks – The Interface Between People, Places and Technology: New Approaches and Perspectives, Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. [Available Open Access] This edited volume is one of the outcomes of the EU COST funded research and network collaboration COST TU1306 Cyberparks, which has been running from 2014-2018. See the Cyberparks website here >>   This edited volume contains two chapters to which I contributed: de Lange, Michiel, […] Read More

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Out now: Open Access edited volume “The Playful Citizen”

Long time in the making but finally available as an Open Access Publication: The Playful Citizen: Civic Engagement in a Mediatized Culture, edited by René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries (Amsterdam University Press) In addition to being one of the editors, the collection consists of a chapter by me called “The playful city: Citizens making the smart city” (Ch.18). Free pdf download available here >>   With contributions by: Contents 1. The playful citizen: An introduction René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, and Imar de Vries   Part I Ludo-literacies Introduction to Part I René Glas, […] Read More

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Presentation “Smart citizens in the Hackable City” @Connekt event about smart cities, 30 Jan. 2019

Yesterday I gave a short talk about The Hackable City project, at a new partner org. of Utrecht University, Connekt, who regularly organize a series of talks on smart urbanism. This one was called “Smart Cities, Hackable Cities?” Below my presentation and the program of this afternoon: Program   14:00 – 14:05             Welcome by Connekt 14:05 – 14:20             Dan Hassler Forest, Universitair Docent Media & Film Studies Utrecht University 14:20 – 14:25             Short Q&A 14:25 – 14:40             Michiel de Lange, Universitair Docent Nieuwe Media Studies, Universiteit Utrecht 14:40 – 14:45             Short Q&A 14:45 – 15:00 […] Read More

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New journal article “Playful civic skills”, co-authored with Delaram Ashtari

Visiting PhD scholar Delaram Ashtari and I wrote a paper “Playful civic skills: A transdisciplinary approach to analyse participatory civic games”, about a playtest session we organized in Utrecht on Nov 20 2017, with the help of Tessa Peters & Rolf van Boxmeer who created the urban planning game Redesire. Abstract Although civic participation is an inseparable part of contemporary urban planning, the civic skills needed for meaningful engagement in the planning process and the way citizens learn them are still controversial issues. Digital transformations establish thematic connections between hitherto separated disciplines like media and communication studies and urban planning around citizen participation. […] Read More

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The [urban interfaces] graduate seminar 2018-2019 “The Right to the City & Urban Commons”

2019 [urban interfaces] graduate seminar series at Utrecht University Dates:12 & 26 February 2019, 12 March (seminars); 19-20 March 2019 (workshop)Location:MCW Lab, Kromme Nieuwegracht 20, UtrechtOrganized by: Nanna Verhoeff, Michiel de Lange, Sigrid Merx, and Lotte van der Molen from the [urban interfaces] research group at Utrecht University.ECTS:4 ECMore information:See http://urbaninterfaces.sites.uu.nl/Fee: € 10,00 (partly covering coffee/lunch during workshop), please bring exact change on the first day of the workshop (March 19)Registration via: RMeS-fgw@uva.nlPlease be sure to specify your master programme, national research school and university New technologies and datafication in so-called smart cities affect how we interface with the city. Social, economic and […] Read More