An Exciting Video of an Innovation

         The video of an innovation that I find exciting, and that I will be sharing with you is “Brilliant designs to fit more people in every city” by Kent Larson. The video was recorded during the TEDxBoston in the year 2012 and already has over 1.2 million views. The video caught my attention because I felt it would address housing issues. The topic has “people” and “city” in it, so I went for it. My dissertation topic is geared toward finding solutions to housing issues, and I think learning how some innovations will help in the future to solve the housing issue is a great idea.

This video took us on the history line when settlements were clustered, and you have places choked with different activities (See Figure 1 in the attachment- Where we were). Later, we got more modernized, and we thought of dispersing, giving ourselves spaces, and situating separated functions. There and then, there arose the need for transportation, and more buildings to satisfy our needs. Cars and other means of transportation were invented, and later, everywhere got crowded with buildings and cars; everybody wanted their own (See Figure 2 -Where we are). Everywhere becomes congested and polluted.

Larson and his colleagues then thought of how we could have the good things associated with the cities without the bad things. They came up with the innovation of compact urban cells with city homes, city cars, with shared workspaces. This would provide all the necessary amenities for humans within a mile or 20-minute walk and connect a series of settlements with a mass transit network. People would navigate the cities without crossing the road, and there would be mobility-on-demand, robotic housings, and shared vehicles. 

The forces that would impact the innovation discussed in the video are conventional, technical, global, and economical. These are positive forces that will impact this innovation. For example, Kent analyzed how the apartments would be technology-enabled, equipped with personalized functionalities, and have robotic convertible walls. The kitchen can be converted into a workout room, office room, or a place for other activities. Larson said he doesn’t believe in smart homes but dum homes with smart things in them (Larson, 2012). The technicality of the homes would entail sensor-enabled walls that prevent accidents in the homes during the collapse. Even the room lightings have sensors to make the apartments economical and conventional (See Figure 3). This solution would be globally accepted as the housing issue is global.

Moreover, Larson showcased the city cars, foldable with their engine and transmission under the wheel. It parks itself and charges itself (See Figure 4). Finally, Larson talked about how economical the shared workplaces would be. The shared workplaces would be great for interaction and collaboration. See the attached Figure 5 for what the innovation aims at in the future. 

References

Kent Larson. (2012). Brilliant designs to fit more people in every city [Video]. TED Talks.   https://www.ted.com/talks/kent_larson_brilliant_designs_to_fit_more_people_in_every_city