Datapolis: Exploring the Footprint of Data on Our Planet and Beyond

Essays and visual analyses of the material and conceptual ramifications of data in the urban environment

Data is the glue that holds our digital society together: self-driving vehicles, satellites, global internet cable networks, data centers and humanoid robots provide tangible evidence of the complex and connected world we inhabit. Yet a strikingly large share of the population understands little about data’s mechanisms.
Datapolis, produced by TU Delft researchers, demystifies data, breaking down the operations that enable data to power and structure technology. The volume also contributes to the theoretical discourse concerning data and its effects on space, architecture and the environment. Through academic papers, short essays, a historical timeline, a catalog of gizmos, maps and diagrams as well as detailed drawings and photographs, this book speculates on the ways in which architecture can better engage with data, accounting for its infrastructural space and scale.