Open call: Conscious Cities Anthology 2018: Human-centred design, science, and technology - official publication of the 2018 Conscious Cities Festival

In anticipation of the 2018 Conscious Cities Festival this October, we are delighted to announce an open call for submissions to its official publication - showcasing the diverse and impactful thinking by Conscious Cities practitioners.

For this issue, we are soliciting submissions related to the Conscious Cities manifesto from both festival participants and the general public. Festival participants have the freedom to submit any piece of work, regardless of what they plan to present. Casting this wide net will not only further demonstrate the vital and diverse work being done within the Conscious Cities movement, but also serve as a way to strengthen the network of practitioners involved, and expand the conversation even further.

Submissions can address the following:

• How can we improve architecture and urban design through a human-centred approach?
• What can science teach us about the behavioural, cognitive, and biological effects of the built environment?
• Where can science bring insights to architecture and urban design?
• Where can data and technology improve human-centred outputs in the built environment?

We are seeking abstracts or pitches for the Anthology by 17th August, with final drafts to be submitted by 14th September. The publication will launch on 15th October, prior to the Conscious Cities Festival in London, October 22-25.

Details for the proposals are as follow:

• Format: Research papers/summaries, Opinion pieces, Case studies
• Length: Between 500 - 2000 words, or 3 minutes max if a multimedia pitch
• Tone: clear and accessible to a general audience. Refer to issues of the Conscious Cities Journal for examples.
• Content: applicable to the Conscious Cities Festival theme: Towards human-centred design, science, and technology.

Materials to include in your submission, formatted as a single pdf:

• The proposal text: if proposal includes multimedia, include an active link to view or download
• Short bios for the authors, including links to professional identity
• Contact information for authors

Submissions should be emailed to [email protected].

What is a Conscious City?

A conscious city is a large built environment that is aware of the needs and activities of its inhabitants and responds to them. Research in conscious cities explores how architecture and urban design can better consider and respond to human needs through data analysis, artificial intelligence, and the application of behaviour and cognitive sciences in design. Watch a 3 minute introduction video here, Wikipedia article here.

The Conscious Cities Movement

The Conscious Cities movement began in 2015 after the publication of its manifesto in The Guardian. The 2017 conference held at Future Cities Catapult brought together architects, urbanists, policy makers, and scientist to discuss how to create more people-centred environments. Talks are available to watch online and the event was covered by a number of outlets including the BBC. The movement also publishes a quarterly journal and annual anthologies that are open-access and feature research and thought pieces.

The Conscious Cities Festival 2018

The Conscious Cities Festival gathers those interested in the creation of people-centred environments. Research and practice using the conscious cities approach explores how architecture and urban design can better consider and respond to human needs through science informed design, data analysis and new technology.

This year’s festival looks at the key factors in creating a better built environment. The events over 4 days will focus on architecture, urban design, urban data and tech, and behavioural science.

Questions?

For questions or concerns about the 2018 Conscious Cities Anthology submission process, please contact [email protected]