Urban Life and the Ambient in Smart Cities, Learning Cities, and Future Cities

The topic of urban life and the ambient in smart cities, learning cities, and future cities is a timely one, fitting as it does in the world today by responding in an interdisciplinary way across many areas of research and practice. It is essential for researchers to think about and engage with the notion of flourishing in increasingly challenging environments in smarter ways. Urban Life and the Ambient in Smart Cities, Learning Cities, and Future Cities expands upon explorations of urban life to the ambient. As such, perspectives are offered in this work on urban life in the context of smart cities, learning cities, and future cities, enriched by understandings of the ambient, infusing the interactions of people and technologies in 21st-century environments with increased awareness, at the moment. Covering topics such as ambient learning, smart homes, and extended realities, this premier reference work is an essential resource for students and educators of higher education, architects, urban planners, instructional designers, sociologists, city officials, community leaders, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Patricia McKenna is the President of AmbientEase, providing information services to many sectors. Patricia works within and across diverse domains of scholarship and practice (interdisciplinary) and collaborates in team efforts to set up international, national, regional, and local information services, research projects, startups, and other creative and future-oriented initiatives. McKenna is also the Director of the Urbanities Lab, an initiative focusing on the exploration of smart cities and learning cities. Author of some 50 publications that include contributions to special journal issues, books, and chapter contributions to books pertaining to the smart cities domain, Patricia is a regular presenter of papers at international conferences as well as a program board member and session organizer. With a focus on smart cities and learning cities, Patricia engages with diverse sectors around use experience and unexpected possibilities for generating and leveraging increased awareness and creativity in 21st century information environments. Patricia holds a BA from the University of New Brunswick, an MLS from McGill University, and a Doctorate in information management (with a focus on emerging technologies) from Syracuse University.