Boston’s Beta Blocks set out to make decisions about technology in public spaces more open to residents. Rather than treating a “smart city” as a matter of installing sensors or kiosks, the project framed civic value, privacy and residents’ ability to shape their streets as central questions.1 Run as an action-research project by the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, it aimed to connect communities with companies, researchers, designers and artists who could help address local challenges.1
The project responded to three gaps: limited public discussion of smart-city tools and privacy, unclear processes for civic experiments, and difficulty testing new tools and designs in public space.1 Its planned work included developing a public-engagement process, inviting feedback on city technology policies—including the possibility of a public privacy policy—and testing street-level improvements with communities. It also proposed a way to match community ideas with potential solutions and to develop clearer city policies for sourcing and permitting experiments.1
In practice, Beta Blocks combined public-facing activities with temporary technology trials. The City’s page reports that an informal Local Sense Lab explored the values and data concerns raised by mixed sensor nodes, while a call to technology companies drew more than 100 responses that were made public.1 A 60-day pilot placed 12 solar-powered digital message boards in Boston; residents in three locations, including zone advisory groups and youth groups, were invited to discuss and give feedback on them.11 The project’s partners included Emerson College’s Engagement Lab and Supernormal, with support from Knight Foundation and a Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team grant.12
A report released in early 2020 summarized the engagement process and offered recommendations for future technology deployments.1 Later research found that the overall model did not become an enduring part of city government, though its individual activities helped center public learning and test collaborative governance approaches.5