San Francisco’s Urban Prototyping Festival Showcases 23 Urban Innovation Projects

Urban Prototyping is a global series of festivals designed to explore the impact that participatory art, technology and design can have on the urban experience. <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/">Urban Prototyping: San Francisco</a> (UP:SF) re-imagined three-blocks of downtown San Francisco with 23 interactive projects, 60 local and international performers, and 20 panelists. Over 100 artists, makers, students, activists, and entrepreneurs came together to examine the future of our cities and conceive of worthwhile, interesting and affordable ways to recreate <a href="http://inhabitat.com/parking-day-2012-pop-up-parks-spring-up-in-parking-spots-across-the-states/">public space</a> - from a 10-Mile Garden to a Fruit Fence planter and modular biofilter urinals, read on for a look at some of our favorite projects!

The <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/fruit-fence/" target="_blank">Fruit Fence</a> is a hanging community garden. Hashtags allow the neighborhood to monitor and better care for the local orchard. This project was designed by Chacha Sikes.

<a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/pulse-of-the-city/" target="_blank">Pulse of the City </a> translates heartbeats into music and streams your heart rate data to the internet for anyone to explore and analyze. This project was designed by George Zisiadis, Matt Ligon, Rachel McConnell and Rich Trapani.

Fire hydrants are bland specs on the cityscape, the <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/the-10-mile-garden/" target="_blank">10-Mile Garden</a> proposes to transform these concrete islands into succulent beds. This project was designed by Anesta Iwan, Cesar Lopez, Marcella Del Signore and Mona El Khafif.

<a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/urban_parasol-sunshaderain-shelter/" target="_blank">Urban Parasol</a> has got you covered. This modular structure can provide shelter from the sun, rain and wind. Assembled from a combination of open source design 3D-printed joints and ready-made objects by Roberto Gutierrez, Georgina Muñoz Reyes, Julia Cerrud and Aaron Gutierrez.

This <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/diy-traffic-counter/" target="_blank">DIY Traffic Counter</a><span> seeks to give more people a voice in the planning and design process of their transportation system by allowing anyone to accurately measure and visualize street traffic counts. Open-source design by Theodore UIlrich and Aurash Khawarzad.

The <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/clip-slide/" target="_blank">Clip + Slide</a> kit is a packaged kit that includes a set of brightly colored plexi-glass laminated wood strips that clip together to existing staircases, outfitted with sensors that are touch-activated to produce musical tones. 

There are about 150 public staircases in San Francisco; the <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/clip-slide/" target="_blank">Clip + Slide</a> turns stairs into neighborhood playgrounds.

An auditory adventure in data sonification, <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/auditory-information/" target="_blank">Good Fences Make Good Neighborhoods</a> is an array of loudspeakers mounted to a chain-link fence.

This presentation seeks to redefine spatial relationships by broadcasting different sound patterns. <a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/auditory-information/" target="_blank">Good Fences Make Good Neighborhoods</a> was designed by Sergio Anderman, Morgan Kaninnen, Afaan Naqvi, Megan Gee, Brian Huey, Toby Lewis, Emily Shisko and Shane A. Myrbeck.

<a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/street-sensing-seeing-tiny-particles/" target="_blank">Street Sensing</a> <span>is a crowdsourced sound and air pollution data collection effort that give real-time insights into local air quality. Android phone owners can borrow a pod and collect data. Then data are shared on AirCasting.org via a Crowdmap. The project was designed by Jeff Blair, Michael Heimbinder and Tim Dye.

No urban expo would be complete without a live graffiti battle!

<a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/citiplay/" target="_blank">CityPlay</a> is an interactive, digital version of the iconic street game hopscotch that seeks to create a "corporeal connection to electronics and data." The game was designed by Martin Bednar, Noah Brezel, Emily Martiny, Julien Bloit, Paul Mans, Samantha Senn and Laurence Srinivasan.

<a href="http://sf.urbanprototyping.org/projects/instant-play-ground/" target="_blank">INSTANT [ play ] GROUND</a> is a pedestrian-scale gameboard that fits in a suitcase and can be played just about anywhere. Each game is recorded by a stationary Wi-Fi station and uploaded to a website that offers up a live-feed. The game was designed by Anesta Iwan, Cesar Lopez, Mona El Khafif and Marcella Del Signore.