research-article

A Study of Urban Heat: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities for Addressing Wicked Problems in HCI

Authors:

Stacey Kuznetsov,

Martin TomitschAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '18: Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Paper No.: 563, Pages 1 - 13

https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3174137

Published: 21 April 2018 Publication History

Abstract

The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) is a phenomenon whereby cities tend to be hotter than suburbs. We frame the UHI as a "wicked problem" that poses a ^range of economic, healthcare, and social challenges. Our paper examines how different stakeholders negotiate complex value systems, collect data, and rely on collaborative platforms to address the problem of urban heat. Using documentary filmmaking as a research method, we conducted ethnographically-oriented interviews with participants including vulnerable communities, urban architects, microclimate researchers, and grassroots activists. Our findings reveal that unlike problems that can be solved using traditional HCI paradigms of distributed work, the UHI presents an entanglement of challenges that do not necessarily converge on a single solution. We conclude by discussing two opportunities for addressing wicked problems through social computing: knowledge systems for sharing hybrid data across domains and interactive forums for discourse among diverse actors.

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Cited By

Chordia IBaltaxe-Admony LBoone ASheehan ADombrowski LLe Dantec CRingland KSmith A(2024)Social Justice in HCI: A Systematic Literature ReviewProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642704(1-33)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Wolff AKnutas A(2023)Tangible Data Exploration: Creating Card Games for Sensemaking2023 46th MIPRO ICT and Electronics Convention (MIPRO)10.23919/MIPRO57284.2023.10159800(50-55)Online publication date: 22-May-2023
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Daepp MCabral AWerner TMansour RCatlett CRoseway ANeedham CUdeagbala NCounts S(2023)The “Three-Legged Stool": Designing for Equitable City, Community, and Research Partnerships in Urban Environmental SensingProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581289(1-19)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '18: Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2018

8489 pages

ISBN:9781450356206

DOI:10.1145/3173574

General Chairs:
Regan Mandryk
University of Saskatchewan, Canada
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Mark Hancock
University of Waterloo, Canada
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Program Chairs:
Mark Perry
Brunel University London, UK
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Anna Cox
University College London, UK

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Published: 21 April 2018

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Cited By

Chordia IBaltaxe-Admony LBoone ASheehan ADombrowski LLe Dantec CRingland KSmith A(2024)Social Justice in HCI: A Systematic Literature ReviewProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642704(1-33)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642704
Wolff AKnutas A(2023)Tangible Data Exploration: Creating Card Games for Sensemaking2023 46th MIPRO ICT and Electronics Convention (MIPRO)10.23919/MIPRO57284.2023.10159800(50-55)Online publication date: 22-May-2023
https://doi.org/10.23919/MIPRO57284.2023.10159800
Daepp MCabral AWerner TMansour RCatlett CRoseway ANeedham CUdeagbala NCounts S(2023)The “Three-Legged Stool": Designing for Equitable City, Community, and Research Partnerships in Urban Environmental SensingProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581289(1-19)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581289
Krysztoforska MDocherty NBiega A(2023)Integrative Objects in Sociotechnical Contexts: Constructing Digital Well-Being with Generic EpistemologyProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580717(1-17)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580717
Svangren MRaptis DAnanjeva APersson JNielsen P(2022)Postphenomenological Dimensions of Digitally Mediated Domestic HeatingNordic Human-Computer Interaction Conference10.1145/3546155.3546692(1-13)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2022
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Mara AStaggers JRichards DAmidon TPflugfelder E(2019)Improving student food insecurity interfacesProceedings of the 37th ACM International Conference on the Design of Communication10.1145/3328020.3353933(1-6)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2019
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