FUTURE cities should not be assumed to be dystopian Blade Runner entities for they could be places flourishing with creativity.
That is the view of an Aberdeen scientist, Professor Richard Laing, research strategic lead at Robert Gordon University’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment. In an interview this week, Professor Laing told how he has worked over many years in research which has considered how computers, visualisation and information technology might affect the ways in which we plan, design, use and interact within cities.
He said: “This has included the use of computer games, online collaboration and the involvement of communities in our work, with the most recent work concerning mobility in Aberdeen and the Shire.
“The rapid development of technology to assist people to have a higher quality of life is exciting, and might signal a future which is brighter.”
Technology in so-called “smart cities” is already helping the public: “Within Aberdeen, we have already seen the rollout of sophisticated and highly effective methods of improving traffic flow, which in turn reduces emissions and pollution.
“In the coming years, we will see this extending to the generation and use of energy across the city, and the general public will be much more able to monitor, control and influence how this might be of benefit to them personally.
“Smart cities are facilitated by technology, and the overall aim is to improve quality of life.”
Professor Laing admits technology could replace human jobs but said: “We should not presume that technology will herald a dystopian Blade Runner future. Whilst it is likely that robotics will lead to the displacement of some tasks – we are already seeing this in terms of offsite manufacture – this is not new.
“Technology will help us to automate repetitive tasks, but the human mind and creativity – in all senses of the word – will always be needed.”
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