Donella Meadows was an important systems thinker of the 20th century. She was one of the authors of the 1979 report The Limits to Growth – which stated the world couldn’t continue the way it was – with the rates of population growth and economic and environment consumption it had. 40 years later, that’s something… Read more
Posts Tagged: concepts
Building the case for new technologies
New technologies are heralded every day as the saviour of the large or small challenges faced by humankind. But though these technological advances may be exciting, and the benefits clear, there’s often a disconnection between the case for improving or updating the status quo from a technological perspective, and the business case for doing so…. Read more
Eliminating uncertainty in the transport network
A core difference between public transport systems and individual transport like the motor vehicle is the perception of control. When a person’s driving a car, there’s a sense that you are able to make decisions about your departure time, arrival time, and the route you take to your destination. Of course, traffic jams and delays… Read more
The rise of the super-mobile human
The growth of the smartphone has reshaped traditional communications, media, and information-sharing processes the world-over. But a concept we’ve been considering as part of the Encircle project is the rise of the super-mobile human. The rapid expansion of the use of smartphones has enabled human beings to enhance their natural senses to a large degree…. Read more
Infostructures – Embedding Media Facades in Public Transport
This article, co-authored by Encircle members M. Hank Haeusler and Martin Tomitsch, describes two design studies that were completed in preparation of the ARC grant application. It is included in our project publications, since it outlines some of the ideas that form the foundation of the grant proposal. The article investigated the idea of using… Read more