Investigating the digital mirror of a city via digital usage and affiliations from Social, Local and Mobile (SoLoMo).

2. Gehl%Architects%
Creating%Opportunities%to%Interact%%
The$Human$Scale$
0 Complex%and%vibrant%
0 Diversity%and%sensory%experience%
Invitations$to$Use$Space$
0 Private%–%Public%
“Soft”$Metrics$
0 Consider%the%perspective%of%the%study%
0 Process%over%perception%%
0 Integration%of%complexity%–%how%does%
place%integrate%with%space%
UTS Movement & Unscheduled Activity UTS Movement & Unscheduled ActivityGehl Architects
1.0 /Assessment 1.0 /Assessment
A study of circulation has helped to illuminate how
the campus is experienced by students, and where
significant routes are.
Circulation Snapshot
Broadway Shopping Centre attracts
circulation along broadway. This will
be challenged by the new Frasers
development, and will probably
decrease significantly.
McKee Street Child Care
B10
B02
B01
B06
B05
Harris St
11,000/day
9,000/day
3,000/day
5,000/day
6,000/day
9,000/day
1,000/day
3,000/day
9,000/day
5,000/day
Goods Line
15,000/day
Library Entry*
15,000/day
Quay Street
15,000/day
Broadway
21,000/day
Entry
9,000/day
Market City
Bulga Ngurra Accom.
Gumal Ngurang Accom.
Broadway Shopping
Central Railway Station along with
the associated bus stops is the
definitive driver of pedestrian traffic
on campus.Pedestrian Traffic on Broadway
drops off significantly past Building
01 & 02.
Harris, The Goods Line &
all significant carriers of s
Harris Street is the locati
pedestrian injuries & deat
the campus. The Goods L
had problems with safety
Street will increase in sig
for the city with the remo
entertainment centre, bu
in significance for UTS on
Building and the Chau Ch
Building are complete.
The Library is the single largest
driver of the informal use of campus.
Moving it will decrease visits to the
Haymarket Campus by many student
groups.
This survey asked students to map their typical path when moving
through UTS - 70 responses are mapped here. In addition to this
we took spot counts over the course of one day, which are marked
accordingly. All pedestrians were counted - both students and non-
students.
The survey gives a snapshot of circulation, and how it defines the
extent of the campus - essentially sitting within the triangle of
Central Station, Market City and Broadway Shopping Centre.
The busiest streets on campus are:
01. Broadway (21,000/day)
02. Goods Line (15,000/day)
03. Quay Street at Haymarket (15,000/day)
04. Library Entry (15,000/day*)
05. Harris Street (11,000/day)
*Library figures based on data
collected in a separate study.
The G
in sun
of sea
few p
becau
Alumni Green has very poor use.
Frontages around are inactive, and
the low quality, at grade, grass is very
hot in the sun.
Building 01 Podium is
predominantly a recreation space.
Notable exceptions are the long
study tables on higher levels that are
well used by students.
The A
very w
Building 02 atrium is a well-used
informal learning space.
The A
very l
edges
and q
Building 10 has a high quality
atrium with low usage.
The cafe and GAC, while adjacent,
have distinctly different uses.
Informal Learning - One dot represents one person
Relaxing & Recreation - One dot represents one person
Mapping is overlaid for 11:00, 14:00 & 18:00, for all
levels surveyed. Green outlines indicate study extent.
major two non-scheduled activities on campus, and that they are by
their nature different. Informal learning can be done for many hours
at a time and requires a particular set of resources to accomplish -
usually internet, power, printing, solid tables and the like. Recreation
on the other hand is often done opportunistically, whenever students
have a spare 5 or 50 minutes. Recreational spaces need to be close but
of high quality. Informal learning requires tools.
From surveys documenting where people sit throughout the day and
what they do in a variety of common spaces on campus, we can see
that places providing some support for study (tables, chairs,
power) are already magnetic to students. Places where studying and
socializing combine are very attractive. An increase in the overlap
between informal learning and recreation activities can make the
campus a more interesting and collaborative environment.
A major point of note is that while Sydney has one of the best climates
in the world, relatively little activity (and even less informal learning)
on campus occurs outside. This is a significant missed opportunity.
Large
place
throu
many
predo
The n
demo
of any
and in
by sid
a spac
stude
allow
one o
on ca
UNSCHEDULED ACTIVITY
BROADWAY CAMPUS
UNS
DAB

3. RQ#:#How#can#one#use#digital#methods#
and#tools#to#measure#urban#qualities#of#
the#physical#city#landscape?##%
This%overarching%question%can%be%broken%down%into%
three%subCquestions:%%%%
0 What#are#the#relationships#between#Social,#Local#and#
Mobile#technologies#and#how#do#they#help#measure#a#
reAlection#of#urban#qualities?#%
0 What#are#the#new#methods#and#tools#for#measuring#
the#new#and#old#metrics#that#can#measure#people’s#usage#
of,#and#their#relationship#with,#their#city?%
0 What#are#the#implications#and#the#new#opportunities#that#
emerge#from#the#ability#to#measure#urban#qualities#
digitally?%

4. RQ1%:%THEORY%
0 What#are#the#relationships#between#Social,#Local#and#
Mobile#technologies#and#how#do#they#help#measure#a#
reAlection#of#urban#qualities?%

5. Mobile%
0 The%Mobility%Turn%
0 Smartphones%have%become%a%takenDforDgranted#part%of%
our%relation%with%each%other%and%interlaced%with%our%
activities%
0 Interfaces%are%connecting%smartphones,%users,%and%
public%space%closely%together.%%
0 Smartphones%have%unlocked%a%potential%for%dynamic%
coordination%of%more%activities%with%more%people%in%
more%ways%

6. Social%
0 The$Participatory$Turn$
0 Social%communication%channels%have%made%it%easy%and%meaningful%for%
people%to%publish%and%share%information.%(Vatrapu,%2012)%%
0 Social$Relevance%
0 The%criteria%for%Tiltering%and%consuming%information%in%accordance%with%
the%relationship%between%humans%and%information.%(Alfort,%2011)%%%
0 An%endorsement%from%someone%you%know%carries%more%weight%than%a%
recommendation%from%someone%outside%your%network%(Cialdini%&%
Goldstein,%2004)%%
! An%invisible%layer%of%“social%noise”%thus%surrounds%our%streets%and%
neighborhoods%when%people%like%reCact%online%to%the%shops,%parks,%
schools,%squares%and%almost%anything%that%occupies%a%physical%space.%%

7. Tweets of Paris

8. Local%
0 The%increasing%pervasiveness%of%locationCaware%technologies%is%
altering%the%perception%of%public%spaces%through%the%proliferation%
of%locationCspeciTic%digital%information.%%
0 Locations%acquire%relevance%and%reshape%social%and%spatial%
interactions%through%increased%use%of%locationCaware%
technologies:%%
0 people%check%into%locations,%%
0 they%have%their%locations%tracked,%%
0 they%attach%information%to%locations,%and%%
0 they%even%“create”%new%locations.%(de%Souza%e%Silva%A.%a.,%2012)%
0 Local$Relevance$:$$The%popularization%of%locationCaware%
technologies%contributes%to%the%changing%meaning%of%locations%
via%contextCaware%relevance%criteria.%(TamineCLechani,%2010)%

9. Food of Frederiksberg

10. Vices of Vesterbro

11. Theoretical%Framing%

12. RQ2%:%METHOD%&%ANALYSIS%
0 What#are#the#new#methods#and#tools#for#measuring#
the#new#and#old#metrics#that#can#measure#people’s#
usage#of,#and#their#relationship#with,#their#city?%

13. Questions%for%Analysis%

14. ES.1%Sydney%
0 Client%:%UTS%
0 Custom%Mobile%App%
0 4%Active%Sensors%(M3)%
0 8%participants%%
0 830h.%
0 100,000%logs%
%%%%Location%Data%
0 400,000%logs%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%%%WiCFi%Data%

15. LoMo%:%Metrics%of%Utility%
Interpretive%
0 Circulation$
0 Mobility$Mix$$
Direct%ReTlections%
0 Lingering%Time/Location%
0 WiDFi$Exposure$(New!)%
0 Stationary$Ratio$(New!)%
SYDNEY
METRO
92%
19%OF STUDENTS
LIVE WITHIN
5KMS OF
CAMPUS
12%WALK
1%CYCLE
71%PUBLIC TRANSPORT
16%DRIVE
81%OF STUDENTS
LIVE FURTHER
THAN 5KMS
FROM CAMPUS
25,821
AUSTRALIAN
STUDENTS
IN 2011
NSW
6%
AUS
2%
Twenty-eight percent of UTS students are international.
Observational analysis suggests that international students tend to be
much heavier campus users, relying on it for informal learning, social
interaction and relaxing. These students will also tend to live within
walking and cycling distance of campus as the trip to Australia was
most likely made to study. This allows them to include their home on
their ‘personal campus map’.
Of the Australian students, 92% come from the Sydney metropolitan
area. Survey data suggests that a high proportion of Australian
students remain living at home when they study as they are too far
away (more than 5kms) to make multiple journeys to university in a
day, and need to rely on public transport or a car for the journey. This
means these students are ‘captive’ on campus between classes.
Despite this distance, 84% of students use sustainable mobility. This
makes UTS one of the major sustainable transport drivers in Sydney.
Sources: UTS internal & Future Student Services Survey.
HOUSING AND MODAL SPLIT
Gehl#Architects#UTS#Report#

16. Social Endorsements

17. ES.2%Copenhagen%
Twitter%Backchannel%
0 #urbicsITU%
0 @urbicsITU%
0 41%Participants%
0 99%Tweets%
0 45%Photos%
0 3%Social%Channels%
0 11%Social%Media%Tools%

18. SoLo%:%Micro%Behaviors%
0 Indirect%forms%of%AfTiliation%
Metrics%of%‘Appreciation’%
0 The$Post/Text$(Twitter)%
0 The$Photo$(Instagram)%
Public%Broadcast%Mediums%
0 LocationCBased%
0 ‘Noisier’%
0 PeopleCcentric%
%

19. SoLo%:%Macro%Behaviors%
0 Direct%forms%of%AfTiliation%
Metrics%of%AfTinity%
0 The$Like%(Facebook)%
0 The$CheckDin$(Facebook)%
Private%Broadcast%Medium%
0 PlaceCBased%(The%Tie)%
0 NetworkCCentric%
0 Direct%Signals%

20. Reverberations%of%City%Noise%%%
%
• AfTiliations%
• Relationships%
• Noise%Levels%
• Complimentary%
• The%Local%‘Tie’%
• Broadcast%Signals%

21. Key%Findings%–%Mobile%(ES.1)%
0 Where$people$go$>$Interventions:%where%and%when%to%
intervene%to%reCdirect%or%stimulate%circulation%of%people%
0 Where$people$stay$>$‘Sticky’$Campus$:%where%students%
stay%for%formal%learning%and%socialization%
0 The$Difference$:$Classify$vs.$Time$&$Space$:%time%spent%at%
a%given%building%location%in%a%much%wider%scope,%time%
frame%and%degree%of%accuracy%%
0 New$:$Propensity$to$Stay/Study:%analyze%a%WiCFi%zone%as%
an%urban%space%
%
! The$visual$mapping$of$digital$user$traf4ic$can$help$
inform$decisions$regarding$future$utility$of$public$space$

22. Micro%Findings–%Social%(ES.2)%
Opportunities%IdentiTied:%
0 Correlations%between%‘social%noise’%levels%and%physical%usage%
of%a%given%public%space.%(B%Huberman,%2007)%
0 Predictability%of%positive%polarity%#place%to%be%“successful%in%
the%future”%(B%Huberman,%2007)%%
0 Mapping%of%posts%and%photos%can%help%to%pinpoint%areas%of%
heightened%appreciation%and%what%individual%features%or%
topics%are%captured%the%most.%
0 Additional%discovery%of%language%topics%associated%with%a%
given%#place%
%
! Samplings$of$‘social$noise’$can$be$repeated$to$measure$
differences$in$these$opportunities$over$time.$

23. Macro%Findings–%Social%(ES.3)%
0 The%‘like’%differs%signiTicantly%from%the%‘checkCin’%due%to%the%
intention%of%the%message%being%broadcast,%by%attaching%one’s%
afTinity%directly%without%loyally%marking%one’s%territory.%
0 AfTinity%behaviors%differ%according%public%space%categories%
from%global%data%originating%from%the%place%rather%than%the%
user.%%
%
! Examining$differences$in$categories$can$help$urbanists$
learn$how$people$endorse$speci4ic$features$of$these$public$
places.$$$
! By$understanding$over@represented$and$under@
represented$behaviors$in$broad$categories$of$public$space,$
one$is$better$equipped$when$evaluating$the$relative$
success$of$a$speci4ic$intervention.$

24. Quality of Life & Affinity
City%Surveys:%
0 Levels%of%cityCwide%afTiliation%from%social%media%differ%from%historical%
and%indiscriminate%geographic%lines%of%residency%
0 There%is%a%slightly%stronger%correlation%between%‘likes’%and%‘checkC
ins’%at%the%city%level.%%However%cityCwide%‘checkCins’%are%more%likely%a%
behavior%attributed%to%tourists.%
! Global$QoL$benchmarks$could$incorporate$public$measures$of$
af4inity$&$appreciation%

25. RQ3%:%DISCUSSION%
0 What#are#the#implications#and#the#new#opportunities#
that#emerge#from#the#ability#to#measure#urban#qualities#
digitally?%
Mobile$Measurements$:$Direct$ReRlections$
" Ability%to%transcend%time%and%space%
# Cost,%access,%motivation%barriers%%
%
Social$Measurements$:$Indirect$ReRlections$
" Goes%beyond%tracking%simply%where%people%go%and%stay,%but%also%
track%what%they%more%speciTically%do%(checkCin)%at%a%given%location,%
what%they%say%(post)%and%even%what%they%think%(like).%
" Ability%to%do%so%instantly,%cheaply,%and%repetitively,%as%many%times%as%
necessary%before,%during%and%after%interventions%by%urban%
stakeholders.%
# Human%means%for%interpretation,%and%willingness%to%do%so%
%
%
%
%

26. Concluding%Remarks%
! Overall,%the%practice%of%zoomingCin%
and%out%from%crowdsourced%data%
of%utility%and%afTiliation%could%be%
leveraged%by%urban%researchers%on%
a%regular%basis%to%identify%new%
opportunities%for%peopleCcentric%
place%creation.%
%%
! The%most%illuminating%SoLoMo%
metric%is:%
%Lingering$:%Stays%:%CheckDIns$
# Digitally%ReTlective%Urban%
Qualities%:%an%Indirect%ReTlection%of%
QoL%

27. Future%Perspectives%
0 Connecting%ES.1%and%ES.2%
0 Heatmapping%our%Data%
0 PSPL%Survey%Assessment%
0 Capturing%the%Intervention%%
0 Mercer%Infrastructure%Survey%
0 ‘Desire%Lines’%
0 Digital%Dérivée%Investigation%
0 Behaviors%of%Tourists%vs.%Locals%
0 Mobile%&%Social%Media%
0 Community%Feedback%Loops%
0 Geographical%Distance%Sentiment%Study%
Eric#Fisher#Tourist#v#Locals#Flickr#Set#

28. Follow our project
@roamingdata%
urbic.tumblr.com%
urbic@mail.com%