A. Townsend

related links:

Urban Research Initiative
NYCwireless
Free Networks

Anthony Townsend: Nominating Expert Net Vision / Net Excellence

Which factors will be deciding if a city can maintain its position as economic, cultural and civil center? Anthony Townsend – at Prix Ars Electronica he is Nominating Expert in the field of Urbanism - is searching for answers to these questions.

Townsend is Associate Research Scientist at NYU's Taub Urban Research Center. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds a Master of Urban Planning Degree from New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. In 2001, he has cofounded NYCwireless, a volunteer organization, not just to provide wireless Internet access in New York's public spaces but also to bridge the digital divide, bringing broadband Internet access to poorer parts of the city. It is building on the philosophies of 'open source' and 'free software' and aims at creating a philosophy and application of 'open networks'.

NYCwireless is a movement to take use of the airwaves for the purpose of providing distributed, free, always-on mobile Internet access through wireless local area networks. 'A lot of the other groups are interested in building a network that's for themselves when they're outside the office or home,' says Townsend. 'We're trying to build a public service.'.

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