Recap: Thoughts on Mobility from Dominique Laousse, INTA33, Koahsiung, Taiwan

Dominique Laousse held court at during his master class on perspectives in sustainable transport on the first day of INTA’s 4 day conference in Taiwan, unleashing a spirited 90 minute monologue on emotional mobility and intelligent transportation that remains a highpoint of the conference: an admittedly unscientific poll showed that for many INTA33 attendees, Laousse’s [...]

Peeking Urban Art with Adidas, Berlin

In the last year Adidas emerged as an unassuming protagonist for mobile-driven marketing. By building applications and experiences that create new value for users, Adidas manages to promote its street wear and give it real street cred where credit’s due. Whereas other companies and actors in the private sector are eager to talk about mobile [...]

More Garbage Collection

Here’s an addendum to the previous trash post, take a look at this paper co-authored by Hai-Lang Yang of Iowa State University and Robert Innes of the University of Arizona in the Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics in 2007—-In an accessible manner, the paper gets at three of the policies that have driven Taiwan’s [...]

Taipei MRT Parties with the Elderly

For the city of Taipei, it’s not enough that their subway system has been ranked No 1 for reliability, safety and quality for four straight years (2004 to 2007) by the Nova/CoMET International Railway Benchmarking Group [In practice this means the subway arrives every two to four minutes.] No, Taipei wants its commuters to feel [...]

Conference Season: Takeaways from Conferences, Congresses and Seminars in Asia

For the last month, Living Labs Global has turned to conferences as an opportunity to engage new audiences, learn about the diversity of urban challenges and identify worthwhile solutions. Here is my top-five conference take-away of at times provocative and challenging statements.

Nine Global Cities launch joint award for technologies to help millions of citizens and visitors

9 cities from Europe, Asia and the United States join forces with Living Labs Global in a challenge to find the innovative solutions to major societal problems by opening competition among international solution-, technology- and service providers. The 9 winners of the Living Labs Global Showcase Award will be invited to pilot their solutions in [...]

Taking out the Trash, the Taiwan Way

Beethoven’s “Für Elise” plays in the background. Neighbours brush shoulders, composting table scraps, separating out plastics into the accompanying recycling truck and ditch their own garbage, bags in hand, into the truck’s basin. This is a daily scene in Taiwan. This is not just some fab ‘permaculturist’s’ utopian dream. This is the way you take [...]

Making the User Count

This morning I reread parts of this very good 2008 article about Nokia Researcher, Jan Chipchase, and the end-user research he conducts around the world—fixing upon the intersection of mobile phone technology and the user. For industry insiders, this article probably won’t offer you any trenchant insights into the potential of mobile technology or the [...]

Innovations in Apps

1) A very handy,very promising, could be favorite from the American Auto Association, the AAA Roadside App for distressed drivers. Here’s a quick review from the New York Times. 2) Give your city a piece of your mind from the palm of your hand? Yes, it’s just that easy for Pittsburgh residents with the city’s [...]