Publication - 'Correlation Is Dismantling Our Urban Narratives'

The DESIS Network invited us to contribute to their book publication. (Introduction from the editors) 'Design for social innovation and sustainability proposes radical changes for the present time, having an impact not only in the short term but also possibly in the future. It inserts conflicts into our everyday lives by challenging well-established habits and ethics, visions and personal agendas.'

Type:

Essay

Publication:

'The Pearl Diver' - The Designer as Storyteller (DESIS Network)

Collaboration:

Michael Kaethler

Together with one of my TRADERS colleagues, Michael Kaethler, we submitted a lament and plea for correlations that are shaping our urban narratives. (Abstract) 'Data mining has come to the fore in recent years as a way of analysing large data sets through identifying patterns. This is increasingly being used to shape decision-making, including in urban planning and design. Michael Kaethler lays out his fears in a lament that the correlation-based approach found in data mining will disorient the emergence and retention of urban narratives. He argues that the story telling that occurs, internally and externally, relies on a causal narrative, which is threatened by a data-centred approach. Saba Golchehr provides a rebuttal in the postscript, a defence of data mining as a new means through which socially innovative narratives can evolve. She argues this requires an open mind and a non-dogmatic approach in order to use correlation as the starting point for the narratives we create.'