Trust in technology: Imagining futures in the digital city

We are back... and we would love to see you again! This time organizing our meetup in Rotterdam. If you are interested in trust and technology, please join us! We have prepared a very nice program for you. Take a look!

When? 4 March 2024, from 19h to 21h30.

Where? VONK, Het Timmerhuis, Halvemaanpassage 90 (Rotterdam) https://www.vonkrotterdam.nl/

Imagining futures in the digital city

The public space in which we walk, cycle, picnic and shop is increasingly filled with sensors. When introducing a digital solution for a faster cycling route from A to B, it is possible that other sensors might be already in place. A resident may think: what are all those devices doing here, what happened to my square or street?

Technology isn’t inherently good or bad. The context in which it is used shapes technology and gives it value. However, this context is always evolving. Are we aware of these changes? Do we fully grasp its implications? Can we proactively respond to them? And, when we are more transparent about the technology, does that also mean that it will increase trust?

On March 4th from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM, the Speculative Futures The Hague network, in collaboration with the Civic Technology lectureship of The Hague University of Applied Sciences and the municipality of Rotterdam, is organizing a meetup about imagining futures in the digital city.

Let’s explore a new perspective on how technology influences our digital city and how we can act differently. During this meetup you will get a different view of the digital city through two short, inspiring presentations. Then, through a hands-on workshop, we will engage in speculative design activities to reflect the impacts of technological solutions for residents. The evening will conclude with a reflective discussion, sharing insights gained during our exploration.

Agenda of the event

19:05 – 19:20- Speaker Jan Bats, who will share a philosophical reflection on technology and trust.
19:20 – 19:35- Speakers Mariëlle van Dijk and Klaas Jan Mollema, who will reflect on trust in the smart city through some concrete examples.
19:35 – 20:45- Workshop Speculative Futures The Hague. Case from smart city: transparency & sensors in the public space
20:45 – 21:00- Wrapup/discussion
21:00 – 21:30- Drinks

About the speakers and workshop facilitators:

Jan Bats is a university lecturer in Sociology, Philosophy of Technology and methods and techniques of social scientific research at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. He studied Sociology in Utrecht and received his PhD from the Philosophy department of the University of Twente in 2019. In his work, he uses a philosophical and social scientific approach to investigate how people make moral choices in online environments. In particular, he focuses on the question of how an interactive online environment influences how people interact with each other in this environment.

Mariëlle van Dijk works as an independent project manager/researcher in the field of environmental management, citizen participation and citizen science. Her expertise lies in how the government engages with residents and the role technology plays in this. This increasingly requires 'negotiations' with residents and stakeholders and citizen science projects are seen as a 'panacea'. In her research at the Civic Technology Research Group at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, she focuses on the influence of technology on trust between government and citizens.

Klaas Jan Mollema: As a media technologist (MSc) and information specialist (B-ict), Klaas Jan Mollema is a lecturer in HBO-ICT and a researcher in Government, Data, and Citizenship at the Civic Technology Research Group at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. From a creative perspective, he operates at the intersection of Information, Technology, and Users. He explores the data-driven government and the methods by which data is made accessible to the citizens.

Anouk Geenen is a design researcher within the Societal Impact Design group at Hogeschool Inholland, where she focuses on critical design and digital rights. In her PhD research, she explored the potential of socio-technical controversies to bring stakeholders together, to stimulate ethical deliberation and critical reflection on smart urban technology. Together with Julieta, she co-founded the Speculative Futures chapter in The Hague, to bring creative futures thinking to a wider audience.

Julieta Matos Castaño is a researcher and project lead working at DesignLab at the University of Twente. She works in the field of futures design, with a focus on using controversies to foster collective imagination in the context of urban transformations. Julieta also works as a freelance consultant in the field of futures design and, since 2019, together with Anouk, she has been co-leading the Speculative Futures community in The Hague.