Senseable City Lab

Senseable City Lab

The Senseable City Lab is an urban research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that studies relationships among cities, infrastructure, urban planning, transportation engineering, data science, environmental science, architecture, civil engineering, computer science and design. It explores how digital technologies, sensing systems and data analytics interact with built environments shaped by institutions such as City of Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, New York City, Singapore, Barcelona, Dubai, Shanghai, London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Istanbul, Mexico City, Toronto, Sydney, Athens, Delhi, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Seattle.

Overview

The lab investigates urban phenomena through projects incorporating technologies from Internet of Things, machine learning, computer vision, GIS, satellite imagery, mobile computing, wireless sensor networks, crowdsourcing, blockchain, augmented reality, 3D printing, robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones (unmanned aerial vehicle), smart grid, renewable energy and big data. Its work links to institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Media Lab, Harvard University, Columbia University, University College London, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Technical University of Munich, Delft University of Technology, Politecnico di Milano, National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, Peking University, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and University of Melbourne.

History and Founding

Founded in 2004 by architect and engineer Carlo Ratti, the lab emerged amid early-21st-century initiatives including wired city experiments, ubiquitous computing, smart city debates, urban informatics and projects by organizations such as Intel, Cisco Systems, IBM, Microsoft Research, Google, Siemens, Philips and General Electric. The lab’s timeline intersects with events such as the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2010 World Expo, COP21, COP26, Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami responses and urban resilience initiatives led by United Nations Human Settlements Programme and World Bank. Founding activities drew collaborators from MIT School of Architecture and Planning, MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Media Lab, Senseable City Lab (2004).

Research and Projects

Research themes include mobility analytics, urban metabolism, environmental sensing, participatory design, digital fabrication and human–computer interaction. Notable projects and prototypes have intersected with public works in cities such as Boston and New York City and international programs like Barcelona Smart City, Singapore Smart Nation, Dubai Future Accelerators, Milan Expo 2015, Venice Architecture Biennale, World Economic Forum initiatives and European Union research frameworks. Projects have employed datasets from OpenStreetMap, Twitter, Foursquare, Google Maps, Waze, Uber, Lyft, Strava, Citi Bike, London Underground, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) and Transport for London. The lab has demonstrated installations and exhibitions at venues including Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, MAXXI, Triennale Milano, Fondazione Prada, ZKM, Centre Pompidou, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, V&A Dundee, Smithsonian Institution and Cooper Hewitt. Specific initiatives addressed issues linked to climate change, air quality, noise pollution, waste management, water management, food supply chains, last-mile delivery and micro-mobility.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Senseable City Lab has partnered with municipal governments, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations and academic centers. Corporate partners have included ENEL, Peugeot, Audi, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors, BMW, Siemens Mobility, Schneider Electric, Arup, Roche, Novartis, Shell, BP, Iberdrola, Enel X, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telefonica, Accenture, McKinsey & Company, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Knight Foundation and Ford Motor Company. Public sector collaborations have involved agencies such as Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, Singapore Land Transport Authority, Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Municipality of Milan, City of Copenhagen and Stockholm County Council. Research funding and programs have engaged with European Research Council, Horizon 2020, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Transportation, Japan Science and Technology Agency and Singapore Economic Development Board.

Impact and Recognition

Work from the lab has influenced policy discussions at forums including United Nations, World Economic Forum, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, OECD, Inter-American Development Bank and Asian Development Bank. Projects and members have received awards and recognition from organizations such as TIME, Fast Company, Wired, Royal Institute of British Architects, International Federation of Landscape Architects, Prince Claus Fund, Smithsonian, Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards, Compasso d'Oro, European Prize for Urban Public Space, Velux Foundations, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society of Arts. Alumni and affiliates have joined firms and institutions including Foster + Partners, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), Arup, AECOM, SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), KPF, Zaha Hadid Architects, UN-Habitat, OECD, MIT Media Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Columbia GSAPP.

Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology