{"id":21511,"date":"2022-08-11T15:18:06","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T15:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.openbusinesscouncil.org\/?p=21511"},"modified":"2022-08-11T15:18:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T15:18:06","slug":"our-cities-now-more-digital-than-ever-before-welcome-to-the-metaverse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.footballthink.com\/our-cities-now-more-digital-than-ever-before-welcome-to-the-metaverse\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Cities, Now More Digital Than Ever Before: Welcome to the Metaverse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rapid advancement of video technologies, social media platforms, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality has shown that we can create a lifelike simulation of existence, real and imagined.\u00a0 That simulation is called the Metaverse. This Metaverse has the potential to fully change how our cities approach architecture, tourism, education, and even healthcare. All of this is leading us to a new era; the era of Society 5.0.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Our Cities, Now More Digital Than Ever Before: Welcome to the Metaverse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our cities, now more digital than ever before<\/h2>\n

While there is undoubtedly a lot of hype and speculation about what the Metaverse is and is not and what it might become, there are some very studied interpretations of what it might mean. One such is Society 5.0<\/a>, proposed as a future society that Japan should aspire to:
\n“A human-centred society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space.”<\/em><\/p>\n

And now, the leadership of various cities is becoming interested in how to utilise this idea for the common good. In a recent interview, Lena Geraghty, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at the National League of Cities (NLC), explained that:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe metaverse is definitely the new buzzword in a long list of emerging technology buzzwords, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not worthwhile for city leaders to get familiar and comfortable about what it could mean for their communities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe metaverse has real potential to improve city services and the lives of residents if deployed well. For that to happen, city leaders need to be at the forefront of the conversation,\u201d<\/em> she noted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cognitively-enabled spaces<\/h2>\n

Immersion in the Metaverse will significantly extend the span of our conscious existence, limited only by our imagination.\u00a0 Our real-world presence can be enhanced, enriched, facilitated and augmented with a virtual overlay that allows us to explore beyond our physical and social boundaries. Seoul<\/a> was one of the first cities to announce that it will increasingly provide its public services through its own Metaverse platform. Soon after, various Chinese<\/a> cities followed. So what services could be provided in the Metaverse in the cities of the future?<\/p>\n

Virtual tourism<\/h2>\n

Seoul\u2019s famous tourist attractions, such as Gwanghwamun Square, Deoksugung, and Namdaemun Market, are meant<\/a> to be virtually created on the platform as a \u201cspecial zone for a virtual tour.\u201d<\/em> Even the no longer existent, historical sites such as Donuimun can be renominated – or reincarnated – in this new virtual space. What is more, other tourist attractions, such as the Seoul Lantern Festival, will be held in the Metaverse so that everyone – no matter their location, disability status, or health status – can enjoy it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMetaverse is evolving into different forms based on technological levels and user demand. In particular, it is gaining traction as a new paradigm for post-COVID-19,\u201d<\/em> said<\/a> Park Jong-Soo, Director General of Smart City Policy Bureau in Seoul.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cThe SMG will pioneer a new continent called the Metaverse Seoul where public demand and private technologies are combined. For all age groups to enjoy the benefits, we will work on the Metaverse Seoul and make Seoul a smart, inclusive city.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Virtual Education<\/h2>\n

Metaverse-enabled VR technology is already transforming the education industry in many cities.\u00a0 The 2015 Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality: 7th International Conference mentioned Google Classroom<\/a> as an example of augmented reality that can replace the physical classroom.\u00a0 With an estimated 2.4 billion<\/a> mobile Augmented Reality users worldwide by 2023, this is a viable channel for many more people to access training and education.<\/p>\n

How does it work? AR technologies can help learners explore the real world and subjects interactively, often by displaying related information such as text and videos.\u00a0 For a child exploring a local park, AR glasses could allow them to identify and learn more about each plant they encounter.\u00a0 This type of practical learning is highly beneficial for children’s development.<\/p>\n

Virtual Healthcare<\/h2>\n

Metaverse-adjacent technologies will provide new and innovative ways of looking after our health. Shanghai has recently allocated $1.5B to a Metaverse development fund, a part of which is to be spent on healthcare.<\/p>\n

A study<\/a> by Luma Tabbaa et al. (2019) evidenced how VR can help patients with Alzheimer’s disease.\u00a0 VR tours provide a simulation that has helped dementia patients tap into old memories, resulting in positive mental stimulation and improved social interaction.\u00a0 Patient recovery of earlier memories has also helped caregivers learn more about their patients’ past lives.\u00a0 VR environments allow patients to experience things that they would not be able to otherwise, improving their overall well-being and mental health in the process.
\nIn other patients with loss or lack of mobility, VR offers the possibility of exploring the world, and the cities they inhabit, on their terms.<\/p>\n

Virtual Architecture<\/h2>\n

The challenge with the \u2018Great Art\u2019 has always been the limitations of turning ideas into reality, both physically and financially. VR changes that and unlocks a new world of possibility.\u00a0 Architects and designers can play with, test, refine and gauge interest in design concepts in virtual space before physical construction.<\/p>\n

3D and VR have been used to bring design concepts to life before they are built and manufactured, and virtual worlds offer new opportunities for very different design concepts.\u00a0 This has been a popular approach with architects, property developers, and self-builders, who have built walk-though versions of their plans.<\/p>\n

In March 2021, \u2018Mars House<\/a>\u2018 designed in May 2020 by Artist Krista Kim, became the first Metaverse home to be sold (for $500k).\u00a0 The transparent virtual building was created using the 3D rendering platform Unreal Engine and “can be built in real life by glass furniture-makers in Italy,” according to Krista.<\/p>\n

Mars House is a standalone virtual reality experience, which does not classify as virtual real estate per se.\u00a0 However, the owner can have the design built in the physical world and an infinite number of virtual ones.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

We live now in a world where interacting daily, moment by moment, on global digital platforms has become a natural, expected and essential part of our lives.\u00a0 Today, we assemble and zoom in on each other in virtual offices, make and share digital art in virtual galleries and museums, play games together, and have a well-being workshop, all online. This can be seen as a growing Metaverse. Our cities can – and will – adjust to this new reality, creating augmented spaces that are more accessible, fair, disability-friendly, and above all, democratic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The rapid advancement of video technologies, social media platforms, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality has shown that we can create a lifelike simulation of existence, real and imagined.\u00a0 That simulation is called the Metaverse. This Metaverse has the potential to fully change how our cities approach architecture, tourism, education, and even healthcare. All […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":21513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":""},"categories":[3822,3501],"tags":[22005,20963,22006,3878],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOur Cities, Now More Digital Than Ever Before: Welcome to the Metaverse - OpenBusinessCouncil Directory<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligenthq.com\/how-the-metaverse-is-making-our-cities-more-tech-savvy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our Cities, Now More Digital Than Ever Before: Welcome to the Metaverse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The rapid advancement of video technologies, social media platforms, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality has shown that we can create a lifelike simulation of existence, real and imagined.\u00a0 That simulation is called the Metaverse. 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