Beyond innovation within the city limits

Abstract

Although vitalism, denoting a dismissed concept in biology (life sciences), is a term rooted in the late 18th century, we still may abstractly think of vitalism even today — in a very different context. The use of this term has changed in the course of centuries, and has been used across different disciplines. Reflecting texts of modern philosophers as well as architects, urban planners and thinkers, this essay is setting the term of vitalism into urban environment and aims to examine the philosophical qualities of space, rationalization, function and beauty in the 21st century. Cities are viewed here as interfaces to interact with. At the same time, Interaction Design (IxD) has tools for making the world a better place from the viewpoint of users: User-Centered Design is widely established and used term. I propose that urban vitalism may stand on qualities valued in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and I am trying to open paths for new concepts in understanding urban life by actualizing the patterns of interaction with the technological layer in our environments.