US DTPR pilot implementations planned in Miami, Charlotte and West Palm Beach in 2023 as part of the Knight Community DTPR Program
Helpful Places is proud to add three new partnerships to their growing list of communities working to build digital trust with DTPR. DTPR — or Digital Trust for Places and Routines — is an open-source communication standard created to increase transparency, legibility and accountability for digital technology in public places which has been applied in Boston, Massachusetts, Washington, DC, and Long Beach, California and numerous additional locations worldwide.
Across many cities, people feel powerless and do not understand how to protect their personal data and privacy in public spaces. The various laws and policies aimed at safeguarding privacy provide few mechanisms to identify or explain the vast array of technology used in public spaces This ultimately contributes to a decline in public trust. To address this gap, DTPR was created through a process co-designed with over 150 stakeholders, including local government representatives, advocacy organizations, urban planning and design firms, technology companies and universities. It provides capabilities and processes to increase transparency and involve residents in shaping digitally equipped public spaces, building trust in the process and addressing an urgent need that was recently identified in the American Planning Association’s 2023 Trend Report for Planners.
The three new DTPR locations listed below will pilot DTPR beginning in Summer 2023 thanks to an investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Residents and visitors to these three distinct communities will be able to engage with DTPR in a variety of ways — accessing clear information about technology deployments, understanding data collection practices; empowering them to make informed choices and contribute to their communities’ technological developments. The communities will also be actively seeking feedback from residents and visitors through intercept surveys and other engagement formats.
“Cities use technology to create efficiencies, improve sustainability, develop economically, and enhance quality of life for residents,” said Kelly Jin, Vice President for Communities and National Initiatives at Knight Foundation. “But people must first be informed and understand how the technology works to be able to engage in meaningful public conversations on how their communities will benefit from these tools. We believe that Helpful Places and these pilot projects are setting up the foundations for how spaces can use technology to deliver community outcomes.”
Miami — The Underline
The Underline will transform 120 acres of public land below Miami’s Metrorail; technology is envisioned to be the connective tissue that links people, places and activities within this first-class, multimodal urban trail. DTPR has been identified as an approach that would support The Underline’s Technology Master Plan’s guiding principle of transparency and participation, by implementing a mechanism that enables communication to the public and support opportunities to involve residents in shaping The Underline’s data collection and tech implementation practices.
City of Charlotte
The City of Charlotte is working on developing a smart city strategic framework that explores three pillars: a data strategy that includes a privacy and data rights component, a digital equity strategy, and a future connected infrastructure strategy. The data strategy pillar for Charlotte’s smart city strategic framework will include a data privacy and rights component, and DTPR is complementary to Charlotte’s aims to be resident-centric in its smart city strategy and empowers them to have a seat at the table making decisions on how to use technology to improve their community.
City of West Palm Beach
The City of West Palm Beach’s future adoption of smart streetscape technologies will be advanced through the National Science Foundation’s investment in The Engineering Research Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3), building on the success of the Mobility Intelligence Project. The use of the DTPR standard in West Palm Beach in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University has the potential to provide legibility and a framework for internal and external communication about the City’s use of smart city technologies and support future community engagement efforts.
“We commend the Knight Foundation and their communities for piloting DTPR as a standard for making the invisible technologies in our shared spaces visible and legible, and look forward to adding these pilots as examples of how cities across the USA and around the world are taking steps to empower people to participate in dialogues about technology in public spaces.” Jacqueline Lu, President and Co-Founder of Helpful Places
“The Underline is thrilled to participate in the 2023 DTPR Cohort. We’re excited to engage our community to understand best practices around data and transparency as we deploy technology throughout The Underline. Co-creation is fundamental in our approach to decision-making around the use of technology in our shared public space. This ambitious initiative allows all stakeholders to embrace innovation, build trust, and make our communities more open and connected. Piloting approaches like DTPR will allow us to collectively build routines and strategies around data use with community participation and thoughtful planning for the future.” Jake Moskowitz, Chief Innovation Officer, Friends of the Underline
“We are proud of how the City of Charlotte continues to leverage technology to build opportunity for residents and businesses to thrive,” said City of Charlotte Mayor, Vi Lyles. “Gathering community feedback on how we use digital technology will help us ensure we achieve our goals towards equity, sustainability, and economic growth.”
“On behalf of the residents and businesses of West Palm Beach, Thank you to the Knight Foundation for their continued generosity and support to elevate our City. We are proud to have Helpful Places assist in the outreach critical to making the Florida Atlantic University Engineering Research Center a success and look forward to the information collected that will be used to enhance the Quality of Life in West Palm Beach.” City of West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James
If you would like to learn more about DTPR or stay informed about DTPR and Helpful Places we encourage you to stay in touch:
- Join the DTPR Slack workspace
- Contribute to the open-source resources
- Email us at dtpr@helpfulplaces.com
- Follow Helpful Places on Twitter and LinkedIn
Photo Credits: Jason Farra, Adrienne Schmoeker, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Photo by Leiada Krozjhen via Unsplash, City of West Palm Beach
