Stimulate Social Interaction in Urban Public Space through the Design and Implementation of HCI

This position paper aims to figure out the possibilities of combing digital space with physical public space, thus further reinforcing the social interaction. As the society of Chinese urban area now is tending to be digitalised, the existing physical public space, which was designed in the past cannot reflect changing and digitalizing society anymore. This makes the physical public spaces, as the stage and physical carrier of public life seems to be obsoleting. Therefore, what is necessary is to re-consider the new role of our physical living environment with the participation of new technologies in the new era. Based on those questions, in this project I will extensively focus on the situation of Hong Kong, exploring the possibilities for physical and digital space to cooperate and interact, that could enhance physical public space and stimulate social interaction, in order to provide suggestions for the future development of Hong Kong’s urban space, as well as other similar cases in Chinese cities.