To Choose is To Renounce. How is Cultural Diversity Taken into Account in ICT Design and Implementation?

Basile ZIMMERMANN, Amalia SABIESCU and Yan ZHANG

On July 30th, 2020, the Confucius Institute at the University of Geneva co-organised a thematic workshop at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum, titled “To Choose is To Renounce. How is cultural diversity taken into account in ICT design and implementation?”. The Institute has had a research agenda centered on the study of mundane technological tools in China for several years. This meeting aimed to explore possibilities to further develop existing activities with new collaborations and new directions.

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Green Public Spaces: Unique Satisfiers for Multiple Human Needs in the Cities of South and Southeast Asia

Marlyne SAHAKIAN

The significance of green public spaces towards sustainability is well-documented in relation to social inclusiveness, human health and biodiversity[1], yet the relation to human wellbeing is less understood. The project Green Public Spaces in the Cities of South and Southeast Asia (GRESPA) sought to uncover 1) how green public spaces satisfy multiple human needs in different contexts and cultures, 2) how people use and practice green public spaces in everyday life in relation to wellbeing, and 3) the role of different stakeholders in promoting more inclusive and environmentally-sound public spaces today and in the future.

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Smart Urbanism(s): ICTs and Governance in China & Europe

Matteo TARANTINO

On November 24, 2016 the Confucius Institute at the University of Geneva hosted a conference and a workshop titled Smart Urbanism(s): ICTs and Governance in China and Europe. The two events brought together scholars from academia, business and public institutions to discuss the increasing reliance on information technology by public and private institutions, both in China and Europe, to address urban issues. The core topics were the use of data production and management, social media and mobile applications as infrastructures for governance, the modeling of urban processes through software and the role and nature of assessment indicators.

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Mapping Pollution in China: An Update on the CHIPOMAP Project

Matteo TARANTINO

The CHIPOMAP research project  was started by the Confucius Institute of the University of Geneva in June 2014. Funded by a Swiss National Science Foundation grant #153291, the three-year project analyzes the Chinese environmental crisis. Specifically, CHIPOMAP focuses on the China Pollution Map (“CPM”), a software system built and operated by the Beijing NGO Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs (“IPE”). IPE’s core mission is to increase public participation into environmental affairs through the disclosure of pollution information.

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