The City of West Palm Beach, Fla., is piloting a new way to inform and engage its community about the technologies used in the city’s public spaces.
The city was accepted to participate in the Knight Foundation’s Community Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR) Program. In partnership with Helpful Places, the city will pilot the DTPR standard which aims to increase transparency and accountability for digital technology in public places.
The city explained that DTPR is an open-source communication standard created to increase transparency, legibility, and accountability for digital technology that is increasingly being incorporated in cities. It functions as both a wayfinding system and a type of “nutrition label” designed to help people understand how the technologies they encounter in everyday life work.
The city said it is using the DTPR standard specifically for smart city technologies in West Palm Beach. Broadly, the city said that by providing the public with information on how these technologies collect and use data, who is accountable for the use of these technologies, the outcomes they enable, and how people’s privacy will be protected, DTPR empowers residents to weigh in on decisions around which technologies are implemented and how they are used to improve the entire community.
“Cities use technology to create efficiencies, improve sustainability, develop economically, and enhance quality of life for residents,” said Kelly Jin, vice president for Communities and National Initiatives at the Knight Foundation. “But people must first be informed and understand how the technology works to be able to engage in meaningful public conversations on how their communities will benefit from these tools. We believe that Helpful Places and these pilot projects are setting up the foundations for how spaces can use technology to deliver community outcomes.”
As part of the pilot, signs are being built across the city to inform residents and visitors about nearby technologies installed by the City of West Palm Beach. The signs use a set of icons to visually communicate the type of technology being used and its purpose. QR codes will also be available for people to use to access more information and to provide feedback. The city plans to actively gather resident input through in-person surveys and focus groups.
“We commend the City of West Palm Beach for piloting DTPR as a standard for making the invisible technologies in public spaces visible and legible,” said Jacqueline Lu, president and co-founder of Helpful Places. “We look forward to having West Palm Beach join the growing number of communities around the world taking steps to empower people to participate in dialogues about technology in public spaces.”
