The document describes an experiment conducted by Emile Hooge to get diverse groups of people to envision the future of cities by building Lego prototypes. The experiment involved gathering a group, introducing a new visual language using Lego, having participants build prototypes of social innovations for cities, combining the prototypes into a future city model, and then sharing insights. Some conclusions were that the method contributed to dealing with preconceptions, envisioning a desirable future, taking a systems approach, and focusing on values through hands-on prototyping. However, the method has biases of focusing on innovation and feelings over facts, and challenges of maintaining momentum and replicating at large scale.

1. Building Lego prototypes
for the city
…my latest experiment in Futures work
Emile HOOGE APF’s V-GATHERING FUTURES FESTIVAL
October 26, 2011
@ehooge

2. I STARTED WITH A FEW QUESTIONS…

3. Can we talk about the future of cities and avoid buzz words?

4. futurist engineer
artist
urbanist mayor designer assets manager
banker
dog? child?
Can we get different people to work together on the future of cities?

5. City Pulse project by MIT Senseable City Lab
Can we tackle the whole system of the city in just a few hours?

6. Mandelbrot set
Can we think about the future from top down AND from bottom up?

7. Can we produce futures work with social innovation, and reciprocally?

8. I WENT FOR AN EXPERIMENT…

9. Stage 1
Gathering a group

10. Stage 2
Learning a new language
Denotation : “a car”
Connotation : ”interdependence”
Special thanks to David Gauntlett for some pics and giving me the idea of using Lego in the first place!

11. and many more…
Stage 3
Building prototypes of
social innovations “urban rest place”
“chariot-sharing for personal goods transport” “neighbourhood networked windows”

12. Stage 4
Putting 4 prototypes
together in a city

13. This future city:
Stage 5 - links innovations at multiple scales in a fractal way
Building future cities - introduces serendipity and messiness in planning
around the prototypes

14. This future city:
Stage 5 - facilitates networking and citizen empowerment
Building future cities - promotes local citizen-champions
around the prototypes - designs public space to accommodate pop-up or mobile services

15. This future city:
Stage 5 - creates shareable resources and infrastructures
Building future cities - organises new types of public-private-community partnerships
around the prototypes - makes political decision about
some places and services that are regarded as Commons
- develops local alternative currencies to manage the Commons
and support shareable lifestyles

16. The rule was: build something before you talk about it!
Stage 6
Sharing insights and
foresights

17. I CAME TO SOME CONCLUSIONS…
My mother thinks I’m still playing with Lego
while I’m actually doing some proper futures work
(or not?)

18. CONTRIBUTION TO DEALING WITH PRECONCEPTIONS
by using Lego as a new common language
by applying induction rather than deduction
by getting people to speak about what they have built
CONTRIBUTION TO VISIONNING A DESIRABLE FUTURE
by combining desirable innovations
by engaging a diverse audience
CONTRIBUTION TO A SYSTEMS APPROACH
by making something first and then presenting something whole
by linking prototypes together

19. CONTRIBUTION TO FOCUSING ON VALUES AND MEANING
by placing a « common » in the centre of the scene
by asking the « why? » question as well as the « how? » question
by giving people time to think while they build with their hands
CONTRIBUTION TO PREPARING FOR ACTION
by using a hands-on approach and actually prototyping ideas
by working with people involved in their communities
by building a future vision of the city supporting desired innovations

20. BIAS INDUCED BY THE METHOD
Focusing on innovation as main driver towards the future
Focusing on the local before thinking global
Focusing on feelings and emotions rather than facts and figures
LIMITS IN SCALABILITY
Maintaining the momentum (will the fun factor eventually die out?)
Replicating on a large scale (over time and space)

21. Rose Biggin a.k.a. Banksy ;-)
… IT DID CHALLENGE SOME URBAN CONVENTIONS
Emile HOOGE
@ehooge