Urban Sense

City as a Living Organism 

As cities grow smarter, do they also grow wiser — or merely more complex? 

About

Program

Urban Sense

City as a Living Organism 

As cities grow smarter, do they also grow wiser — or merely more complex? 

About

Program

Urban Sense invites us to reimagine the city not as a static infrastructure of roads and data cables, but as a living organism — sensitive, adaptive, and continuously evolving. 

Through an interplay of art, technology, and environmental sensing, the exhibition visualizes how urban environments can be understood, measured, and nurtured. It reflects on how data reveal invisible processes — from air quality and heat-island effects to patterns of biodiversity and waste — and how these shape both our shared environment and the well-being of its inhabitants, human and non-human alike. 

Presented at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, Urban Sense represents Prague’s transformation from an early, technology-oriented Smart City — driven by enthusiasm for innovation — toward an aspiring resilient, responsive, and human-centered metropolis, where technology becomes a tool rather than a goal. 

About

About

the exhibition

All exhibited artifacts embody our perspective, informed by interviews and observations with city policymakers, and inspired by ongoing smart city projects in Prague. 

They do not offer definitive answers but rather invite reflection, dialogue, and imagination — encouraging visitors to sense, interact, and co-create meaning. Crafted with a sense of playfulness and material sensitivity, the physical artifacts evoke the haptic dimension of urban intelligence — one that can be seen and felt, not only measured. 

The Four Layers of Urban Sense 

Bee the City

An interactive projection transforms visitors into urban pollinators — bees, butterflies, and other vital agents of ecological balance. As they move through the digital landscape, their gestures bring blossoms to life in a collective act of pollination. Their task is simple yet urgent: to sustain as many flowers as possible within a fleeting moment of time. The game reflects ongoing research and policy efforts addressing the decline of pollinator populations — a growing challenge for European cities, emphasized in the EU Nature Restoration Law (2030). Through this sensorial interface, the city’s hidden rhythms become perceptible — not through numbers, but through embodied collective experience.

Micro-Stations

A series of modular prototypes of urban amenities act as infrastructures and communicative interfaces, translating the city’s invisible dynamics into a shared sensory language. Through shifting colors and light, they evoke urban phenomena such as temperature, humidity, air quality, or movement, transforming data into atmosphere. These “secondary public amenities” inhabit the city not as fixed objects, but as places to observe and attune to its living environment.

Diagram of Transformation

A complex visual mapping traces the city’s gradual shift from a technocentric mindset toward a more human-centered approach. This layered diagram tells the story of Prague’s urban innovation from the perspective of OICT, set within the broader European and local context. It reveals key learning moments that shaped this evolution across three urban domains — waste management, microclimate, and biodiversity.

Engagement Wall

A participatory layer capturing visitors’ “aha” moments and reflections. Through a series of open questions, visitors can share their insights and impressions — forming a collective reflection on how cities can transform. Because no transformation can happen without first acknowledging what already exists, this wall gathers impressions and opinions as a form of collective sensing.


The Four Layers of Urban Sense 

Bee the City

An interactive projection transforms visitors into urban pollinators — bees, butterflies, and other vital agents of ecological balance. As they move through the digital landscape, their gestures bring blossoms to life in a collective act of pollination. Their task is simple yet urgent: to sustain as many flowers as possible within a fleeting moment of time. The game reflects ongoing research and policy efforts addressing the decline of pollinator populations — a growing challenge for European cities, emphasized in the EU Nature Restoration Law (2030). Through this sensorial interface, the city’s hidden rhythms become perceptible — not through numbers, but through embodied collective experience.

Micro-Stations

A series of modular prototypes of urban amenities act as infrastructures and communicative interfaces, translating the city’s invisible dynamics into a shared sensory language. Through shifting colors and light, they evoke urban phenomena such as temperature, humidity, air quality, or movement, transforming data into atmosphere. These “secondary public amenities” inhabit the city not as fixed objects, but as places to observe and attune to its living environment.

Diagram of Transformation

A complex visual mapping traces the city’s gradual shift from a technocentric mindset toward a more human-centered approach. This layered diagram tells the story of Prague’s urban innovation from the perspective of OICT, set within the broader European and local context. It reveals key learning moments that shaped this evolution across three urban domains — waste management, microclimate, and biodiversity.

Engagement Wall

A participatory layer capturing visitors’ “aha” moments and reflections. Through a series of open questions, visitors can share their insights and impressions — forming a collective reflection on how cities can transform. Because no transformation can happen without first acknowledging what already exists, this wall gathers impressions and opinions as a form of collective sensing.


The Four Layers of Urban Sense 

Bee the City

Ceníme si rozmanitosti - v lidech, názorech i zkušenostech. Proto podporujeme dialog založený na upřímnosti, úctě a vzájemné důvěře. Jsme otevření v komunikaci mezi sebou i s okolním světem, prosazujeme politiku otevřených dveří, vzájemného sdílení informací a respektu k odlišným názorům. Nic nezastíráme a nazýváme věci pravými jmény. V maximální míře využíváme řešení formou Open Source

Micro-Stations

Věříme, že si Praha zaslouží jen nejlepší technologie a postupy. Proto se snažíme trvale zlepšovat a inovovat nejen naše projekty, ale i nás samotné. Neustále hledáváme nové nápady a jsme otevření neotřelým řešením. Do svých projektů zapojujeme odbornou veřejnost. Díky tomu se stáváme expertní silou, která dokáže spojit nejinovativnější analýzy o možnostech současných technologií s jistotou správného použití.

Diagram of Transformation

Myslíme dopředu, hledáme a realizujeme nová řešení. Umíme předvídat, trvale zlepšovat a inovovat procesy a výkony. Nabídky. Které vytváříme, jsou konkurenceschopné a zaměřené na zákazníka. Naší silnou stránkou je osobní přístup, naslouchání a porozumění zákazníkům. Naší prioritou je spokojenost Pražanů s výhledem, který plně reflektuje jejich přání a potřeby.

Engagement Wall

Chceme být součástí úspěšného týmu, proto respektujeme individualitu všech členů týmu a podporujeme jejich zapojení a uvědomění si vlastního přínosu. Svou iniciativou a odhodláním přispíváme k směrování naší společnosti a aktivně se zapojujeme do firemního dění. Rozvíjíme svá nadání a trvale zlepšujeme své schopnosti. Vytváříme prostředí podporující sdílení znalostí, efektivní komunikaci a rozvoj týmových i individuálních dovedností.


Program

Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 

Website examples

Urban Sense — Opening & Guided Tour 

Tuesday, 04 November, 16:00
Czech Pavilion — Pavilion 3, Stand D 100 - Complimentary cava toast

Join us for the official opening of Urban Sense, an exhibition showcasing Prague’s innovation journey — from early pilots to visions of a sustainable and human-centric city. 

Highlights: 

  • Guided tour of the exhibition 

  • Interactive experience where you become a pollinator and transform the landscape 

  • Insights into three of Prague’s environmental smart projects 

  • Networking with the Czech smart city ecosystem 

Program

Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 

Website examples

Urban Sense — Opening & Guided Tour 

Tuesday, 04 November, 16:00
Czech Pavilion — Pavilion 3, Stand D 100 - Complimentary cava toast

Join us for the official opening of Urban Sense, an exhibition showcasing Prague’s innovation journey — from early pilots to visions of a sustainable and human-centric city. 

Highlights: 

  • Guided tour of the exhibition 

  • Interactive experience where you become a pollinator and transform the landscape 

  • Insights into three of Prague’s environmental smart projects 

  • Networking with the Czech smart city ecosystem 

Program

Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 

Website examples

Urban Sense — Opening & Guided Tour 

Tuesday, 04 November, 16:00
Czech Pavilion — Pavilion 3, Stand D 100 - Complimentary cava toast

Join us for the official opening of Urban Sense, an exhibition showcasing Prague’s innovation journey — from early pilots to visions of a sustainable and human-centric city. 

Highlights: 

  • Guided tour of the exhibition 

  • Interactive experience where you become a pollinator and transform the landscape 

  • Insights into three of Prague’s environmental smart projects 

  • Networking with the Czech smart city ecosystem 

More

More

at Urban Sense

Panel discussion

Rewilding Urban Spaces: From Concrete Jungles to Living Cities - Zina Kaštovská, OICT

Tuesday, November 4, 11:05  - Stage: Clean Cities 

How can green spaces transform cities into healthier, more inclusive, and biodiverse environments? This roundtable explores how smart lighting, environmental monitoring, and sustainable design can help rebalance urban ecosystems and strengthen community well-being. 

Presentation

How Prague Leveraged Data for Better Urban Life - Benedikt Kotmel, OICT

Wednesday, November 5 - Urban Sense stand, Czech Pavilion — Pavilion 3, Stand D 100

How can data help cities evolve toward better everyday life? This presentation explores Prague’s data-driven initiatives, from mobility to environmental monitoring, and the lessons learned from integrating data into decision-making and public value creation.

Workshop

What Have We Learned from 10 Years of Smart Cities? - Adam Pajgrt, OICT

Thursday, November 6, 10:00 - Urban Sense stand, Czech Pavilion — Pavilion 3, Stand D 100

An open, reflective workshop revisiting a decade of smart city experimentation. Participants will share insights on what worked, what didn’t, and what cities truly learn when innovation becomes everyday practice.

Panel discussion

Solutions to Optimise Parking in Cities” - Barbora Čechová, OICT

Thursday, November 6, 10:40 - Stage: Move Better

Public space is one of a city’s most valuable resources. This discussion looks at how smart mobility planning — including parking optimization, mobility hubs, and active travel promotion — can make better use of urban space while improving accessibility, health, and quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

Project

Project

background

Urban Sense is a collaborative exhibition developed by OICT, the municipal company of Prague responsible for Smart City development, and the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM). 

It builds on Prague’s recent innovation initiatives — including Smart Prague, SPACE, Prague Pixels, and the New European Bauhaus–related projects CrAFt and NEB-Star. 

Presented at Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, Urban Sense reflects the city’s growing ambition to to turn the city into a space of learning through experience. It transforms urban data into physical encounters where understanding arises not from explanation, but from participation, curiosity, and play. Technology becomes a medium for empathy and awareness — revealing hidden rhythms of the city. In this way, Urban Sense invites visitors to learn by sensing, to reflect by engaging, and to imagine together how cities can evolve not only through innovation, but through shared experience and collective learning.