Charlotte as a Learning Playground

by Carlos Salum

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August 20, 2011

The more I walk through the skyway connecting all Uptown Charlotte buildings, the more I celebrate the brilliance of the idea. It’s open 24 hours, it’s secure and it gives citizens access to a “learning playground” with many opportunities to engage creatively with others and to develop an authentic sense of community.

When I’m between meetings, my first stop is usually “The Humor Mill,” where anyone gets a chance to share their best jokes on stage - a sure-fire way to spike adrenaline and self-confidence before the days’ sales calls. Passersby vote with their phones or wall buttons on which performances should make it instantly to YouTube. One can also leave drawings, quotes and musings on the plasma walls, which are automatically stored and categorized in a database and ranked by crowdsourcing.

The coffee shops, strategically located every 200 feet, host Tweet-a-thons on categorized topics cycling on electronic billboards, which change every three minutes. What used to be a time-waster and shameless self-promotion is now a valuable tool for collective design and public policy shifting, thanks to the new “value-finding” algorithms that qualify each contribution for its creativity, feasibility and productivity. Instant smart-phone profiling of those in the room is available, so those seeking a conversation or an introduction can safely approach each other or a group.

Lunchtime has improved dramatically, seamlessly blending nutrition, relaxation, socializing and learning. “The Story Store” features one-minute inspirational stories by presenters selected at random, told in whichever way the person finds useful. Using a format of seven stories by seven people in seven minutes, twice per hour, it allows me to expand my network once I rate each presentation, and the “name cloud” of those in the room is instantly stored in my personal database, segmented by preferences. Understandably, stories of successful sales pitches and persuasion techniques rank high with the younger crowd, while stories of finding meaning and developing a legacy tend to moisten older patrons’ eyes.

“Emotion Central” is always a refreshing option where customers can get free coffee, tea and desserts in exchange for a philanthropic donation (whatever they can manage) or the purchase of artwork by a young artists (small and affordable), which is delivered to them by mail, e-mail or stored in a personal art vault online. At every step of the automated ordering process, they are presented with a provocative image or sentence and are invited to share how it makes them feel with one click. The whole process takes five clicks and each customer learns instantly whether he or she has won a ticket for a museum exhibition, a theater show, a concert or a private party that month.

Moving from building to building raises my exercise quota, even if I am walking a short distance. There are now double-timing escalators that mimic steppers and stair-climbers (I can walk in reverse, if I wish), while they analyze my heart rate and oxygen consumption. Select lanes of the moving walkways randomly become slalom courses for times I'm in need of stimulation, forcing me to adapt and win points for efficiency, which can be redeemed at health-food restaurants and shops.

As I progress through the skyway to my destination, I’m invited to engage with large screens - which double as mile markers - which show data about Charlotte that’s useful for me to consider. Most of the information relates to improving public education, creating jobs, giving a second chance to ex-convicts or funding art projects throughout the city. Multiple-choice questions and new initiatives are highlighted for me to vote, bookmark, forward, or just “Like” as a nod to progress.

Provocation plays a central role at “The Challenge Bar,” where as soon as I approach the counter, the server interprets what I might like or need and I must accept his or her choice. Does the server have my wellbeing in mind? Am I going to like the drink chosen for me? I don’t know, and that’s the point. Getting food follows a similar path, but I always have a chance to state my dietary restrictions. There’s no menu, no ordering and no recourse. The servers read my “presence” and they deliver a challenge to me. The beauty of the experience is that my dish is unique from any other person’s dish (no two are the same), somehow honoring our individuality. The system keeps track of my visits to avoid future repetitions. And the challenges extend to how I pay for my meal: I can pay the fixed price, commit to one hour of teaching, make a donation to a list of charities or pay for someone else to take the challenge (just because I think they need it in their lives).

Those who are thirsty for culture, new ideas and intellectual stimulation can play “Mind Palette” and buy a phone app or an electronic tag that will allow them to combine two or three museums and art galleries in one visit, storing all critical information in advance to serve as an audio and GPS visual guide.

Discounts on restaurants, purchases and vouchers are included. Each visit stores points for bi-weekly raffles of original artwork, tickets to conferences, master classes and personal meetings with artists when in-town. Automatic donations to the arts qualify individuals for major sweepstakes sponsored by luxury brands and destinations. A creativity pipeline allows visitors to contribute their new ideas directly into an innovation database where, if selected, their idea will be flagged for a patent application, product development and a share of the revenues.

The evening entertainment seems endless, but there are two peculiar offerings that have caught everyone’s attention:

The first is “The Trust-Builder Bar,” where patrons play “Prisoner’s Dilemma,” “Monty Hall’s Three-Door Game” and other risk-based challenges, as well as do trust-building exercises in teams for serious points. Winners can qualify through the evening to pay for a round of drinks for the entire house, which is rewarded with the proverbial t-shirt, a badge of honor and points for an international ranking posted online.

The second offering is perhaps the most radical and it takes place in NoDa, which is easy to get to, thanks to a revelers’ bus line that has creatively pimped its cars, as suggested by a certain TEDxCharlotte talk back in 2010. “WackLoop” is a community event on steroids. It requires that participants complete an online profile answering the evening’s “hot topic” questionnaire on the most irritating social issues, as selected by a panel of experts and randomly selected guests. Each participant gets a profile of his or her “Tolerance Quotient” and must analyze the hot issue under four distinct ABCD parameters: (A) Adversity Experienced; (B) Beliefs formed; (C) Consequences of the Beliefs; (D) Disputation and Decisions. Their analysis is compared with existing Facts and Solutions in Development to explore discrepancies and shifts in perception. The participants print out their Personal Profile and purchase an inexpensive pass for visits to art galleries where discussions on the topic are being held, as well as bars and shows. As soon as participants arrive to NoDa, they are notified by phone and on posted screens about how the “scene” is trending through a variety of Web clouds, tweet decks and info-graphics.

At the galleries, explorations are taking place, rather than debates, and none are facilitated. Simultaneously, artists are creating - live and on-demand - inspired by live music of all kinds and while conversing with the public. The whole evening’s electronic documentations are submitted to an intelligent database that classifies, qualifies and interprets the “sensitivity” of certain topics and ideas, which can be explored further like an “exquisite corpse” creation by anyone and everyone. All of it is in the public domain.

Don’t wake me up yet.