THE REAL TIME CITY : SMART PHONES, LOCATIVE MEDIA AND SOCIAL NETWORKING IN ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

The ubiquity of smart phones, coupled with the proliferation of mobile broadband networks, locative media and social networking sites is quickening the pace of everyday life by giving us unprecedented access to information instantaneously. The notion of a real-time city that responds to feedback from the city‟s inhabitants almost immediately is becoming a reality. New advances in media and technology are making invisible forces that shape the city now visible. However, the development of these technologies has so far been restricted to engineers and technologists, with architects and urban planners left out of the discussion. It is essential that we examine the potentials of this real-time city within the context of architecture and urbanism. A conceptual generative art installation proposal, involving the use of social networking site Twitter and Iluma Urban Entertainment Centre, will be a technical proof of the real-time city in the context of Singapore. In doing so, this dissertation aims to uncover the potential impacts of the real-time city on architecture and city planning.