Waze and the Politics of Public Spaces and New York Has Solved the Problem of Public Art. But at What Cost?
In his article, Waze and the Politics of Public Spaces, Wells recalls an incident that happened where a socially driven GPS app, Waze, navigated him the wrong way in reaching a destination. Throughout his piece, he expresses his bewilderment on both the functioning of the app and the motives that drove the inhabitants of the neighborhood to block his route to entering Saw Mill Parkway.
Waze discusses algorithms and artificial intelligence in his piece. This is the part I found most interesting. I have read about and been exposed to the same sorts of problems in healthcare where artificial intelligence is also being heavily use. In a day where IBM Watson machines are used in order to encode data for Electronic medical records (EMR’s), hospitals are relying on complex algorithms and codes to create medical reports and transfer them to different hospitals for the benefit of the patient. Although, the rest of the world marvels at this feat, the reliance in artificial intelligence is a problem. When hospital administrations blindly relies on the Watson machines without applying reasoning, medical complications occur which inadvertently hurt the patient. Wells’ stance on artificial intelligence further corroborates the idea that reasoning is needed with algorithms and data in creating efficient apps.
Ironically, Wells also mentions that part of the problem with Waze was that it relied on too much on societal feedback. He drives home the message that there has to be a way where social feedback could be properly utilized while also keeping it in check.
I found it amazing how technology may bring people together and at the same time the people near Saw Mill Parkway used their inputs in technology to limit the traffic in Saw Mill Parkway. In order to find a compromise Waze may need to address these concerns with the residents near Saw Mill Parkway. Above all, this article highlights the importance of the voice of people especially when it represents their communities.
In Saltz’ New York Has Solved the Problem of Public Art. But at What Cost, he addresses a notion of the current state of public art. He mentions that over the years, the problems with public art shifted from affording spaces for public art to the public’s level of engagement with the art.
Saltz calls modern public space projects “soulless” while at the same time desires “noise” from the public spaces. He mentions how the highline is an example of people just walking without really engaging with the art. My only concern with this is the way he measured the level of engagement from the public. Furthermore, he views the noisiness of a public place to directly relate with the level of engagement the public has with a public space. This may or may not be true. Moreover, public spaces can offer moments of contemplation and introspection to people as they engage silently as well.
Additionally, Saltz was critical about the innovation that pier 55 would undergo. Moreover, pier 55 is set to be built on top of water, supported by pillars, to create a “floating” effect. By calling the plan a “nightmare”, Saltz denotes his feeling that public spaces should be kept simple. However, others may feel that public spaces should be influenced by innovation. The proposal to create a floating pier 55, reminded me of Dubai’s proposed plans to create Palm Islands, a set of artificially made islands that connected to each other, resembling countries. Initially, critics were not fond of the idea because of the major costs that Dubai would incur. However, Dubai proceeded with the project. Today, Dubai is seen as innovative and advanced to the rest of the world because of constructing cultural attractions like Palm Islands and the world’s tallest building, Burj Al-Arab.
Saltz had a very myopic point of view towards the innovation and quietness of public spaces today. Although I may not agree with him, Saltz’ perspective addresses the idea that sometimes people may want public spaces to be kept simple so that residents can engage with them more similar to playgrounds or parks.
