Living in Living Cities (1111.3659v3)

Abstract: This paper presents an overview of current and potential applications of living technology to some urban problems. Living technology can be described as technology that exhibits the core features of living systems. These features can be useful to solve dynamic problems. In particular, urban problems concerning mobility, logistics, telecommunications, governance, safety, sustainability, and society and culture are presented, while solutions involving living technology are reviewed. A methodology for developing living technology is mentioned, while supraoptimal public transportation systems are used as a case study to illustrate the benefits of urban living technology. Finally, the usefulness of describing cities as living systems is discussed.

• The paper introduces living technology characterized by adaptation, learning, robustness, and self-organization to address urban challenges.
• The paper’s methodology employs self-organizing strategies such as adaptive traffic lights and antipheromone algorithms in public transportation.
• The paper demonstrates that integrating living technology into urban systems can foster resilient, sustainable, and responsive cities.

An Overview of "Living in Living Cities"

The paper "Living in Living Cities" by Carlos Gershenson explores the intersection of urbanism and living technology, proposing the application of living systems' characteristics to address urban challenges. The paper delineates the core traits of living technology—adaptation, learning, robustness, and self-organization—and how these can be leveraged to rectify issues within urban environments, such as mobility, logistics, and governance.

Core Concepts and Methodologies

Living technology, according to Gershenson, encapsulates technology that adapts and evolves in response to dynamic environments, exhibiting attributes commonly seen in living organisms. This approach emphasizes adaptability and self-regulation over static solutions. The methodology inherently underpins the necessity for systems to adjust continuously to fluctuating inputs and demands—parallel to biological evolution and adaptation.

The paper suggests implementing a self-organizing methodology where interactions among system components are fine-tuned to minimize negative interactions and amplify positive synergies. This approach underscores the idea that making constructive adjustments at the micro-level can foster robust systemic behavior fostering adaptability.

Urban Challenges and Living Technology Solutions

Gershenson highlights specific urban challenges that can be tackled with living technology:

1. Mobility: The paper proposes self-organizing traffic lights and real-time information systems as solutions for enhancing urban mobility by reducing congestion and optimizing route planning. These systems adapt traffic flow dynamically, reducing delays and lowering environmental impact.
2. Public Transportation: The application of antipheromone-inspired algorithms to manage headways in public transportation is examined. By allowing systems to self-regulate and adjust to real-time demands, solutions are achieved that surpass traditional optimal constraints.
3. Governance and Safety: The potential of real-time data and enhanced telecommunication systems is emphasized for achieving more responsive and adaptive governance, enhancing public safety, and improving emergency responses.
4. Sustainability: Integrating living technologies into energy systems and urban infrastructure can foster sustainability by intelligently managing resources through adaptive strategies that match production with consumption, integrating renewable sources efficiently.
5. Logistics and Society: The introduction of biologistics, leveraging swarm intelligence, offers robust solutions for dynamic supply and demand problems. Additionally, societal shifts facilitated by living technologies can lead to higher cooperation rates and voluntary participatory systems among urban populations.

Implications and Future Prospects

The implications of this research are manifold, both practically and theoretically. Practically, it opens new avenues for creating responsive urban infrastructure that can evolve alongside changing urban demands. Theoretically, it bridges urban design and complex adaptive systems, contributing to a deeper understanding of cities as living organisms in functional terms.

Looking forward, the paper suggests that cities equipped with living technologies can become more capable of handling future challenges. However, it wisely notes that these technologies may bring novel challenges, requiring continuous governance and adjustment. As technology becomes increasingly integrative, cities could evolve as semi-autonomous entities, reflecting properties of living organisms in a more concrete manner.

Gershenson's work serves as a roadmap for the application of living technology to urbanism, suggesting not only plausible solutions to existing challenges but also setting a framework for future research in creating sustainable, resilient, and adaptable cities. The intersection of technology and urban living offers expansive potential, anticipating a paradigm shift in how cities are managed and evolved. The adoption of such living systems may well determine the future resilience and efficiency of urban architectures globally.