Mapping Chongqing's Urban Media Ecology

Abstract

China's cities are being remade and rebranded with light emanating from ubiquitous digital media in the form of media architecture, urban screens, mediated retail environments, and mobile media in taxis, elevators, personal devices, and public transport. Chongqing is saturated with an increasing density of urban media making it a particularly pertinent exemplar of China's urban future and its complex urban media ecologies. This research maps Chongqing's urban media ecology using insights derived from expert interviews to establish the viability of further research testing co-designed urban media and participatory design as tools for urban planners, government, industry, and citizens. The findings suggest that in this cultural context the potential of urban media to introduce novel participatory methods benefiting urban planning is dependent on collaborations with property developers, manufacturers, and architects open to testing small scale interventions at a community level.