The book examines:

·         The size and shape of cities in the Metaverse

·         Spatial computing and its impact on digital interaction

·         Digital twins in urban planning and management

·         Avatars and social dynamics in virtual spaces

·         Economic models emerging in the Metaverse

·         The influence of gaming on immersive digital landscapes

·         The impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Metaverse

·         Potential futures of digital habitation

Drawing from architecture, computer science, urban planning, geography, social studies, and economics, the authors provide a multidisciplinary analysis of how virtual cities are shaping our digital future. Using key case studies, they trace the evolution from early cyberspace concepts to current spatial computing technologies, offering insights into both historical context and future possibilities. The book addresses key questions about the opportunities and challenges presented by metaverse technologies, including issues of accessibility, creativity, and the future of humans and artificial intelligence co-existing, side by side, in digital spaces. It serves as a practical guide, equipping readers with the knowledge they need to navigate the future of urban life in virtual environments with a thought-provoking examination of how we might build, inhabit, and govern cities in the Metaverse.

The authors explore the concept of digital twins, demonstrating how these virtual replicas of physical spaces can revolutionise urban planning and management. They delve into the social aspects of the metaverse, examining how avatars shape our interactions and relationships in digital realms. Economic considerations are central to the book ethos, with an analysis of emerging models that often leverage blockchain technologies. The book addresses the challenges, potential pitfalls and ethical considerations in creating and inhabiting digital cities. At the same time, it takes a step back and examines already abandoned digital worlds, offering lessons from past attempts at creating virtual spaces. 

Essential reading for urban planners, geographers, economists, technologists, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of cities and digital interaction, Cities in the Metaverse provides a balanced, informed perspective on this rapidly evolving field.

Authors:

Andrew Hudson-Smith is a Professor of Digital Urban Systems at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London. He focuses on real-time data, virtual environments and the Internet of Things within the urban environment. He is also an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. Socials: @digitalurban

Duncan Wilson is a Professor of Connected Environments at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London. His research focuses on how emerging technologies, such as connected sensors and cognitive computing, can augment our understanding of the built and natural environment. He has over 25 years of experience in industry and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Socials: @djdunc

Valerio Signorelli is a Lecturer in Connected Environments at the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London. He holds an MSc in Architecture and Urban Design and a PhD in Territorial Design and Government from the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Socials: @ValeSignorelli

The post Cities in the Metaverse: Spatial Computing, Digital Twins, Avatars, Economics and Digital Habitation on the New Frontier appeared first on Digital Urban.

If you go through a period of not writing, be it weeks or months, then the guilt as an academic starts to build up, we are meant to write papers as those around will often be only too keen to chip in during conversations. I see it across the board, from professors through to starting out researchers and students leaving the course essay until the last possible minute.  There is a need to not only get over the fear of starting a new paper but to also form a pattern to take away the worry that can all too easily build up.

I stated that “It turns out the answer is easy, and thanks go to Sir Alan Wilson of CASA who i found sitting typing early one morning, turns out he always aims for: Write 500 words a day”.

I was wrong, its not easy at all, but i found out how to solve it.

Jump forward to 2023, I am mid book writing with 23,000 words now in place over the last 8 weeks, and most suprising to me, I’ve enjoyed it. The dread of the blank page of A4 has gone and i think i’ve finally learnt how to break the fear, the writers block and not only get it done but to actually miss it if i have a day when i cant write.

There are many books out there that will, over the course of 30,000 words or so, generally tell you the same thing on how to be productive, how to write academically, how to write your first novel etc. In essense it comes down to two simple points and if you can follow these you will, within two weeks, get into a pattern which might just change the way you write and with it your output and perhaps even your path in life:

1) ) Use the Pomodoro Technique – The “Pomodoro Technique” is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The name comes from the Italian word “pomodoro” (tomato) because Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer when he first implemented the method. The technique is designed to improve productivity and focus by breaking work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes long, separated by short breaks.

Here’s how you can implement it:

• • • Decide on what you are going to write today – for example, my task today was 500 words on ‘Avatars in a Future Metaverse’ (its a working title for a section of the book.

• • • Use a timer (it doesn’t have to be tomato-shaped – although i use the excellent extension for Chrome – which is Tomato shaped, and free – Marinara: Pomodoro® Assistant) to set a 25-minute countdown. This 25-minute work period is known as one “pomodoro.”

• • • Start researching, writing, in short work on the task in hand. Focus on the task for the entire 25 minutes. If a distraction pops into your head, write it down on a piece of paper and get back to the writing.

• • • When the timer goes off after 25 minutes, stop working. Marinara in Chrome can be set to make a pleasant ‘chiming sound’, marking the end of 25 minutes.

• • • Take a Short Break Relax for a 5-minute break. Stretch, walk around, or do something you enjoy for a few minutes, tbh i normally use the 5 minutes to check my open tabs in Chrome – Twitter (i cant call it ‘X’ yet) etc.
    • Repeat – the technique statrs that after four pomodoros (i.e., after completing four 25-minute work sessions and taking three 5-minute breaks) you then take a longer break, around 15-30 minutes. This longer break allows you to relax and recharge before diving into another set of pomodoros. To be honest i often do it after 3 sessions as thats the point where my brain is beginning to drift. If all has gone well however i may well be nearing the 500 words at this point, some days the 500 words are easily won, some days much less so. If its proving more challenging then i repeat the process until done.

The primary benefits of the Pomodoro Technique i have found are:

• An Enhanced Focus: By dedicating short periods to a single task, it becomes easier to stay engaged and focused. Its amazing how rare a focused 25 minutes actually is without using the technique.
• Regular Breaks: These prevent burnout and keep your mind fresh, they are also often enough not to allow sneaking checking of Chrome tabs.
• Tracking Productivity: By counting pomodoros, you can gauge how much effort tasks require and better estimate future tasks. This also goes for word count, if you track your word count as you go, I have a running total i update each day on Slack, then it does start to take the pressure off.

You can adjust the timings to suit your needs. Some people prefer longer or shorter work intervals, but the key is to maintain a consistent pattern of focused work followed by a break.

2) Get into a Pattern – a Habit of Writing. The Pomodoro Technique will automatically do that, a habit is often portrayed as a bad thing but it can also be good and it trains your brain to be ready to write at a set time. Personally i use 9.30am to 12.30pm, so a three hour slot each day. This is a time i would often have meetings, so i have blocked out the diary going forward and have moved meetings to the afternoon. At that point my writing is done and im not distracted by an article i should be writing.

Writing 500 words a day gives you 2,500 a week  – 10,000 a month which is easily a PhD chapter, two working papers, one journal paper or a 1/4 of a short novel.

It may seem obvious, but it is all too easy to complete a long day with it filled with meetings – often meetings you have put in the diary youself and ending up at the end of the day without having any words on paper.

I’ve been doing it for just over two months and have 22, 652 words written, if you are reading this then do try the technique and let us know in the comments how you get on.

The book? – The working title is: Cities in the Metaverse: Digital Twins, Spatial Computing, Society, Avatars and Economics on the New Frontier  with Dr Valerio Signorelli,and Professor Duncan Wilson of CASA.

This blog post? – 1,991 words, or three Pomodoros….

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The post Incoming Metaverses: Digital Mirrors for Urban Planning appeared first on Digital Urban.

We sketch a brief history of the development of virtual geographic environments which build on online gaming, three-dimensional representations of cities, and the notion that computer technologies are now so all-pervasive that many different models of the same phenomenon, in this case, geospatial systems, can now be built. This enables new forms of analysis that let us explore future spatial scenarios which address key urban problems through virtual environments. These allow us to experiment with the near future and to this end, we identify three key issues. First, we look at how we can use new technologies to develop all-embracing digital environments which are loosely called the “Metaverse”; second, the development of many models which form various kinds of digital twins having different degrees of “closeness” to the real system; and third, the emergence of platform economies that are beginning to push Metaverse-like technologies into the economic world of networked markets. We conclude with suggestions that these technologies can be used to inform our plan-making capabilities, for example, through geodesign, and we suggest how we might address the key challenges that need to be addressed to make their approaches ever more relevant to urban planning.

You can read the full paper over the Transactions in GIS – Hudson-Smith, A., & Batty, M. (2022). Ubiquitous geographic information in the emergent Metaverse. Transactions in GIS, 26, 1147– 1157. https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.12932

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