REDCAR is no longer a referent to the automobile or a simple transportation mechanism; to us it has become a ‘call sign’ for action to change the condition of our cities, neighborhoods, streets and public space that has so far been shaped to fit the automobile. Through changes in the construct of the automobile that reduces mechanical linkages in favor of connectivity through integrated electronics and network intelligence; the evolution of the automobile can finally dissolve in form, and its interface become transparent [1]. In essence, the automobile becomes an altered mechanism for an expanded element of shared public space. REDCAR is the reconstruction of physically linked places, people, and interaction in the new ‘mobile public space’.
[1] Mitchell, W. J., Borroni-Bird, C., & Burns, L. D. (2010). Reinventing the automobile: personal urban mobility for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Figure 1: Social Network Example of Impromptu Meeting and Car Adaptation – Car Expanded Social Realm