For the 2020 DesignTO Festival, the Interdisciplinary Design Strategy (IDS) students at the Institute without Boundaries (IwB) will showcase their research insights and scenarios on Ethical Smart Cities through an interactive, multimedia exhibition. ‘Toward an Ethical Smart City’ presents Playroom.TO which proposes the stance that cities need ethics to conquer their challenges and evolve into Ethical Smart Cities.

Playroom.TO explores the possibilities of how cities can move from a smart city to an Ethical Smart City. The exhibit allows visitors to understand how an Ethical Smart City develops with values, technology and challenges. Playroom.TO allows visitors to have an input on how they think Toronto’s major challenges should be solved. Playroom.TO is a fun space that pushes the necessity of ethics in the evolution of Toronto. Come make your move toward an Ethical Smart City.

In 2019-20, the IwB will explore and evaluate the evolution of Smart Cities both nationally and globally in order to contribute to the creation of cities that are smart, ethical, inclusive and sustainable. The current dialogue around Smart Cities focuses heavily on the integration of Information and Communication Technology infrastructure in our cities, including high speed telecommunications networks, sensors and monitoring systems, data storage and other technologies contributing to a technology layer that is integrated into our city systems to enable traditional city networks and services to be more ‘intelligent’ and automated. However, more robust visions for Smart Cities also include emerging technologies ranging from clean energy and biotechnology to material innovations that have the potential to transform the way we plan, develop, construct and live in cities. This multi sensorial and interactive exhibition will explore the benefits and risks associated with Smart City interventions to promote a shared understanding of how the integration of technology in the fabric of cities might transform human experiences and values.