An applet for public calibration of urban decision-making algorithms in The Art of Tradeoffs

2020

Developed by Supernormal in 2020, the Art of Tradeoffs is an exploratory test that is part of Beta Blocks, a larger collaboration with the City of Boston and the Emerson Engagement Lab to explore new approaches for community-led innovation in public spaces. It is one small step toward the collective imagination of a “smart city” that creates equal opportunities for people to connect with each other and with the world.

This web app encourages the public to explore the data behind the algorithms and decisions that reflect and shape our shared public realm. The community is encouraged to self-weight an index to decide where to prioritize changes to the city, and to explore the current issues and hidden stories of Boston’s communities through an interactive visualization of 311 data.