Spring Break
Emerson Island group creates virtual Boston
Boston shall be as a city on the Web
Ashley Portero
Issue date: 12/13/07 Section: News
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Right now, there are people strolling through Boston Common in the sunshine, coats forgotten in their closets.
While that may be a normal December day for Floridians, many Boston residents are also having fun in the sun-or, rather, their avatars are.
On Dec. 13, Hub2, a collaboration between Emerson, the city of Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, will be showcasing virtual models of different Boston areas that were designed by city residents at 12:30 p.m. in the Little Building's Beard Room.
Using the virtual world Second Life, users are able to create avatars, or simulacra of themselves, to interact with the computerized world and other avatars. For them, sunny days are always possible.
Emerson professor Eric Gordon, one of Hub2's founders, said the project allows average citizens to participate in city development by giving them a space to create their own vision of the city within the program. Interaction between different avatars means that Hub2 can also serve as a social networking tool.
"We want to change the way the [city] design process is done," the assistant media arts professor said.
Second Life is a 3-D world created entirely by its users. Since launching in 2003, the Web site has attracted about eight million residents. Avatars work jobs, go to parties and interact with each other.
Founded earlier this year by Gordon, Berkman Center Fellow Gene Koo and Nigel Jacob, an assistant to Mayor Thomas Menino, Hub2 encourages interaction between Boston residents and their public spaces in the real world and cyberspace, Jacob said. It creates a way for citizens to participate in their community, and city officials said they hope it will encourage more people to become involved in civic activities.
Six Hub2 projects will be on display at the showcase, including a design of Government Center and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The designs are the work of students from Gordon's VM503 class, and those who attended Hub2 public workshops taught by Koo. The workshops consisted of Emerson students, members of City Hall, BRA workers and local residents interested in learning about Second Life.
While that may be a normal December day for Floridians, many Boston residents are also having fun in the sun-or, rather, their avatars are.
On Dec. 13, Hub2, a collaboration between Emerson, the city of Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, will be showcasing virtual models of different Boston areas that were designed by city residents at 12:30 p.m. in the Little Building's Beard Room.
Using the virtual world Second Life, users are able to create avatars, or simulacra of themselves, to interact with the computerized world and other avatars. For them, sunny days are always possible.
Emerson professor Eric Gordon, one of Hub2's founders, said the project allows average citizens to participate in city development by giving them a space to create their own vision of the city within the program. Interaction between different avatars means that Hub2 can also serve as a social networking tool.
"We want to change the way the [city] design process is done," the assistant media arts professor said.
Second Life is a 3-D world created entirely by its users. Since launching in 2003, the Web site has attracted about eight million residents. Avatars work jobs, go to parties and interact with each other.
Founded earlier this year by Gordon, Berkman Center Fellow Gene Koo and Nigel Jacob, an assistant to Mayor Thomas Menino, Hub2 encourages interaction between Boston residents and their public spaces in the real world and cyberspace, Jacob said. It creates a way for citizens to participate in their community, and city officials said they hope it will encourage more people to become involved in civic activities.
Six Hub2 projects will be on display at the showcase, including a design of Government Center and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The designs are the work of students from Gordon's VM503 class, and those who attended Hub2 public workshops taught by Koo. The workshops consisted of Emerson students, members of City Hall, BRA workers and local residents interested in learning about Second Life.
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