Urban landscape is ever changing. Living in the city might mean encountering something new, or to be precise, moving with something new.
Intersecting movements are what makes cities a living organism. Countless number of people and various modes of transports move in different directions at different paces.
A few years ago, new things joined these urban movements – riders zipping around the streets carrying a huge cube-shaped bag, wearing the same uniform and helmet. I saw them in London, Liverpool, Cambridge, and Seoul. We now know who they are and why they are riding at a light speed. They are partners of Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Baemin, the food delivery platforms.
I was startled by the explosion of delivery riders in such a short period, the platforms’ ability to coordinate millions of deliveries with the atomised workforce, and ordinary city dwellers becoming part of this network by simply logging into an app. On the other hand, despite the advancements in digital technology, algorithms, and robots, it demands a lot of humans to transport food. Without these human riders, a seamless micro-logistics chain won’t be achievable.
The convenience of app-based food ordering/delivery has made urban life smarter. Customers order and receive food with a few taps. Riders, using their smartphones and bikes (or scooters), complete delivery tasks presumably like a pro. From order to delivery, all of the coordination is done through the app’s interface on a 5-inch screen. However, just like every great art and technology, it takes continuous deliberate efforts of various parties to make it work again and again.
I decided to explore how those parties assemble and work together through a 4-year project. This will hint at the foundation on which our smart urban life depends – in other words, what might tear it down, what kind of smart city is being made, and who is invited to make it and in what ways, for whom, and crucially, lets us reflect on whether this is the city we wanted to build.
Image credits:
Jared Murray on Unsplash
Edinburgh News