edgelands blog

On 30 April, we held our second Edgelands Community Event, and it was a great gathering! It brought together people from around the world who have encountered Edgelands in some capacity over the past four years. The evening was filled with warmth, reflection, and plenty of plans for the future.

Struck by years of violence, residents of the Medellín region exorcise grief through singing. The Coro Reconciliación thus allows victims and former combatants to unite in an unprecedented way and make their voices heard.

In an era where digital interactions shape nearly every aspect of life, how can we redefine the social contract between citizens, governments, and businesses?

How can digital security in Geneva and its invisible social contract be visualized? Cristian Duda, a reportage photographer, has been selected by Magnum Photos and the Edgelands Institute to develop a visual representation of this concept in Geneva, a main international hub.

This blog post by Sara Arango Frango invites readers to reflect on our shared sonic territory. From a social, political, urban, and intimate perspective, the Medellín-based researcher examines the effects of noise on our lives and its impact on everyday coexistence.

In this blog post, Tammie Campbell highlights the criminalization of student behavior on social media, particularly in Texas, where impulsive digital actions often lead to severe legal consequences.

On November 1-2, 2024, the Edgelands Institute participated in the Smart City Xperience hackathon organized by Open Geneva and HEG. As part of this hackathon, Edgelands proposed the challenge: "Invisible Code, Visible Impact: The Challenge of Open Source Software for Geneva's Digital Future.”

As cities grow more complex, civil organizations are stepping into the spaces traditionally occupied by governments and law enforcement. These organizations are not just supplementing existing efforts - they are actively redefining what safety means in today’s cities.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Lindokuhle Sobekwa to delve into his photography series for Magnum Edgelands Nairobi. Bringing an insightful perspective that transcends mere documentation, Sobekwa’s work offers a commentary on the intersection of urbanization, surveillance and photography

In this blog post, Research Associates Sara Arango Franco and Maria Camila Roldán highlight the key findings from the second pop-up in Medellín.

On June 19th, our third Intercity Digital Pop-Up dialogue brought together citizens from Medellín, Geneva, Nairobi, and Houston, who engaged in a conversation about transparency and security.

In this blog post by Fellow Burcu Baykurt, the continued enthusiasm for data-driven governance is examined despite the decline of smart city initiatives. Baykurt explores how gov-tech startups are carving a niche by optimizing existing public datasets to enhance municipal operations.

As part of the Explore Geneva initiative on the 27th of April, we held our second conversation of the Intercity Digital Pop-Up project at the BFM. We were excited to facilitate a dialogue among representatives from the diverse Edgelands cities—Geneva, Medellín, Nairobi, and Houston.

In the framework of the partnership with Hablemos Medellín, 5 young people from the Edgelands community in the city participated in a course on Data and Art at the EAFIT University, where we explored the responses of the conversations that Hablemos Medellín held between June and July 2023.

Findings from the 'Let's Talk about the Digitalization of Security' survey, conducted in partnership with Hablemos Medellín

For the first Edgelands' digital intercity dialogue, participants discussed the uses of AI and facial recognition in the four cities the institute has popped up.

For the fellowship 2022–2023 at the Edgelands Institute, Dario Rodighiero explored the intricate interplay between surveillance, global security, and personal privacy in today's public discourse through data visualization tools like the Weather Map.

In the bustling streets of Medellín, Colombia, an unlikely guardian watches over the city's commuters: the image of Virgen Maria scattered through many of the city's public transport.

Urban security challenges in African cities have prompted governments to invest heavily in digital surveillance technologies. This post advocates for a shift towards public engagement and community involvement in the deployment and implementation of these technologies.

In this blog post Fabien Lechevalier explores the intricate historical and contemporary dimensions of privacy.

In this blog post, our Fellow 2023 Rituraj Pegu delves into the dynamic urban landscape of Delhi.

In this blog post, Jane Adams explores the intersection of digital facsimiles, simulations, and user-friendly interfaces, showcasing how these tools are empowering individuals and communities to actively engage in urban planning processes.

This blog post by Pedro Monteiro explores the facial recognition use by police in Brazil.

This blog presents some of the reflections and recommendations of the Edgelands Institute on security, surveillance and technology based on the work developed in Medellin with public, private and social actors since 2021.

In Milan, as is often the case in urban areas experiencing rapid gentrification, escalating property costs and rents have given rise to a range of exclusionary policies. Read more about it in our Fellows 2023 Giorgio Fontana and Danilo Deninotti’s blog post.

In this comprehensive exploration of Lagos, the author delves into the dynamics of safety and security within these areas, highlighting the prevalence of gated communities and the roles of private security guards and vigilantes.

In his latest blog post, Samson explores the localized terminology for criminal activities and highlights concerns such as car hijackings and street shootings, often attributed to socioeconomic inequalities and a failing justice system.

Phionah Uhuru's text highlights the alarming security situation in Kenyan cities, particularly Nairobi, which experienced a 14.4% increase in reported crimes in 2021. The text also raises questions about the reliability of CCTV systems in addressing the city's security challenges.

As part of our Fellowship Program 2023, Monica Sanchez's blogpost explores how the 20th-century automobile revolution transformed cities, compromising pedestrian-centric urban designs and causing adverse effects on public spaces and safety.

Samson's latest blog post explores the contrasting security architectures of Lagos and Johannesburg, shedding light on their unique approaches to law enforcement and the challenges they face.

Read about Hannah Mackaness’ experience working in advertising technology to collaborating with the Edgelands Institute. The author highlights the need for public education on the complexities of surveillance, data collection, and targeting in the digital age.

In March 2023, a Social Laboratory was established in Cúcuta. The meetings aimed to assess Cúcuta's current security situation, address challenges, and explore the potential impact of digital security solutions while working towards a practical proposal for the city.

Last month we asked some residents and visitors of the city about their feelings on the topics of security and surveillance in the form of a 'Vox Pop', or short interviews, that we filmed in the streets of Geneva. In the following post, we will reflect on the answers we received.

Participant in Edgelands' Fellowship program, Sophia Sennett explores in this blog post the relations between climate change, climate intelligence and social contract.

Last month at the International Museum of the Red Cross in Geneva, the first two photographers involved in this adventure came to present their work. This discussion allowed us to discover two very different approaches but also to evoke the specificity of the medium of photography in research.

The beginning of the research sprint in Cúcuta

The piece deals with the analysis of a choreography based on the embodied reactions people have to the idea of increased digital surveillance in their cities.

As part of Edgelands x Magnum project, Angel Tames de Sousa researched the rights to access information of the CCTV recordings in public spaces in Geneva. This blog post exaplaines his process: the obstacles, findings, and his perspective on the subject.

Cynthia Chepkemoi, Edgelands’ Research Associate, describes her visit to Konza Technopolis, Kenya’s first smart city, and explores the meanings of “smart city” in Kenyan technological and urban contexts of development.

At Edgelands we harness the power of creative forms artists employ to ask hard questions, foster dialogues, materialize the voices and lives of those affected by political decisions. In this blog post, Andres Boada and Santiago Uribe comment on the artistic outcomes of MATZA Edgelands Cúcuta.

In partnership with OPPi, from June 22 to November 15 of 2022, we invited the residents of Geneva to participate in the online participatory survey “What Are the Dangers That Threaten Your Safety in Geneva?”.

I asked a trending AI chatbot to come up with a text that would summarize the issures explored by the Edgelands Institute in terms of digitalization of security and its impact on living together in an urbanized world.

In his work-in-process art book, Emre Altindag explores the anxiety of being constantly watched as a consequence of digitalisation of security in contemporary society.

Klea Bogdani tells about her participation in the Research Sprint "We are Recording You Geneva".

How should the Swiss Confederation safeguard its values, interests, and you, its residents, in a digital space that is increasingly turning into an economic and geopolitical battleground? This blog post argues that the answer to this question should not be left solely to elected politicians or public officials but rather be the result of an inclusive societal dialogue surrounding the sovereignty of Switzerland in the digital age. To do so, the blog post examines the Swiss Federal Council’s decision to store the federal administration's data on foreign tech companies’ servers, highlights its national security and privacy implications, and draws parallels with the national debate on railroad nationalization in the 19th century.

The Forum Border, Security and Surveillance Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities for Cúcuta” brought together city officials, researchers, Venezuelan professors, members of the Metropolitan Police, students and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss the main security challenges affecting the city

In this blog post, Maria Camila Roldán synthesizes the learnings from different Edgelands' activities in the city of Medellín, including: interviews, research marathon, art residencies, data marathon and a workshop with Editores de Ciudad.

When Daniel Quintero's vision of a digitized Medellín was included in the current Development Plan of the city, it had already been on the path of adopting new technologies for years. In his blog post, Ricardo Zapata Lopera discusses the outcomes of the implementation of these systems.

The “social lab” is Mi Sangre Foundation’s methodology for creating an ecosystem of transformation that relies on collaboration and capacity as modes of interrogation.

Edgelands had the chance to speak to a dozen female migrants in Geneva to hear their thoughts on the findings of our diagnostic report.

Edgelands had the opportunity to engage with the senior community in Geneva to understand how the advent of digital technologies has impacted the social fabric of the city.

We sat down with Sara Arango Franco, team member and one of the primary facilitators and designers of our new data analysis workshops to talk about the motivations behind the program and how it’s gone so far.

While the algorithms running in AI programs are efficient in processing thousands of variables and computing millions of data, they are also opaque by nature in their operation.

International Geneva, as we call the cluster of foreign delegations and international organizations massed on the beautiful shores of Lake Geneva, hides a dark side.

App-based food-delivery drivers, working for Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and other online labor platforms, are nowadays a highly visible part of cities all around the world. However, their overt observability stands in stark contrast to the opaque "algorithmic" management practices and precarious working conditions they are subjected to. This blog post sets out to shed light on local responses to secure app-based delivery workers' employment and data rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

We humans have a tendency, even a need, to share about our lives, from the most shocking events to the everyday.

Urban art often aims to make the artifacts tell a story, inspire dialogue and interpretation and send a message of resistance that is also visible in urban space.

On technology as a tool in safety infrastructure.

The program, launched in partnership with Universidad EAFIT, convenes 50 "sprinters" and topic experts once a week in conversation about the digitalization of urban security in Medellín.

"How are digital surveillance technologies changing the social contracts in urban settings and what can people and cities do about it?". This was the question posed by Yves Daccord, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, at the Edgelands Institute official soft launch on April 9th and second launch hosted in Central Asian Time on April 26th.

Using online social networks to identify suspects and potential criminals is part of a push within law enforcement towards big data surveillance and predictive policing analytics. However, critics warn that the use of predictive policing can enhance racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.

"I was personally taken with Zuckerman’s theoretical insights concerning soft power and his discussion of the failures of national institutions (...)", says Cat Keegan about Mistrust by Ethan Zuckerman.

Mateus Guzzo, Research Associate of Edgelands Institute, explores the interaction between surveillance technology and entrepreneurialism.

What place does surveillance technology have in the classroom?

What are pop-ups? A powerful tool for redefining urban areas, pop-ups can be a useful tool for reshaping the social contract, but how and where they are deployed can have significant consequences.

As digital technology increases in urban contexts, a new concept of “smart city” is born. In this blog post, Adriana Lasso-Harrier explores the meanings of this contemporary urban experience and its consequences on governance.

Edgelands sat with Enrique Peñalosa, -the two-times Mayor of Bogota, Colombia - for a digital conversation. An authority in Urban affairs, Mr. Penalosa experienced first-hand some of the most pressing issues faced by cities. Most of his professional career has been devoted to thinking about public transport systems, mobility, and public spaces in cities. During his time in office, Mr. Penalosa led the 10+ million inhabitants of the Colombian Capital through some of its greatest challenges. In this conversation with the Edgelands team he reflected on some of the most urgent urban and political issues: the legitimacy of authority and how to make Cities drivers of equality.

We were joined by visionaries and tech-experts Elizabeth Adams and Bruce Schneier to dive into issues relating to digital surveillance. 

Yves Daccord, Chief Executive Officer, shares his thoughts about the importance of building a new social contract.

On April 30th 2021, the Edgelands Institute held its first Café Croissant conversation with Yves Daccord, Yvette Sánchez, Séverin Guelpa and Sarah Newman.

This blog post reviews four theories and frameworks that offer some guidelines to balance interests such as efficient governance, justice, fairness, individual liberties, and public safety.

What lessons can we learn from COVID-19 to be inclusive in our design of a new urban social contract? Who are the voices we are leaving out that need to be heard?

The Edgelands Institute sat down with the architect and urban designer Christina Leigh Geros to talk about how deep soils and arid soils create an attending set of political, social, and ecological relations.

A close look to the Norwegian social contract model.

The Edgelands Institute had a chance to sit down for a conversation with Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, to hear his perspective on what businesses and private corporations can do to uphold their obligations to society.

The social contract, broadly conceived, is a pact among individual members of a society with the goal of advancing collective interests. Cities play a crucial role in the formation of community by nurturing the public sphere and healthy encounters of difference.