LSN : News : Thought-starter: Can urban mobility be more sustainable?

A tech-enabled book shop for families

Rubio by Masquespacio, Spain

Valencia – Heritage publisher Rubio has partnered with Masquespacio to create a new, tech-led family book store.

While Rubio has been making educational books for Spanish schoolchildren for the last 60 years, the concept store diverges from its history to focus on a more futuristic vision for the brand. The different environments in the store each use technology to inspire interaction, such as a neon ‘tunnel of colour’ that takes visitors through the history of the brand and a ‘time machine’ with augmented reality goggles.

The store also encourages visitors to learn as well as play; they can improve their handwriting with a methacrylate board, work on their mathematics skills, and learn more about Rubio's past. ‘We have sought to explain how we are a dynamic publisher open to the future and in constant evolution, but always remembering where we came from,' explains Enrique Rubio, the company's CEO.

As the digital world transforms the way young people interact with books, Rubio demonstrates how book stores can embrace technology and become a place for both education and play.

The Mink instantly 3D-prints colour cosmetics

3D Make up printer by Mink, New York

New York – The printer is the first to instantly transform online beauty looks into wearable make-up, with the potential to revolutionise the cosmetics market.

Following the debut of its concept in 2014, The Mink printer will soon hit the mainstream market with a price tag of $395 (£310.25, €346.45). Designed to be portable and compact, it enables users to choose, control and create the exact make-up hues they want by simply uploading an image to the Mink app. A make-up sheet is inserted into the printer, which in turn produces the desired colour cosmetics against the visual inspiration.

‘Beauty content continues to move to digital and away from traditional TV and print. Users are turning to these images for inspiration, creating an opportunity to leverage image colour data and transform them into physical makeup,’ says Grace Choi, CEO and co-founder of Mink.

With social media producing a number of new feminine beauty ideals, the industry will witness a rise in tools like The Mink, which allow consumers to replicate the beauty content they see online.

Stockholm Fashion Week axed for more sustainable format

Stylein, Stockholm

Stockholm – The Swedish Fashion Council has cancelled Stockholm Fashion Week over environmental concerns surrounding the bi-annual event.

The event has been axed with a view towards creating a new, future-facing format for the fashion industry. Later in 2019, the Swedish Fashion Council plans to reveal a new concept focused on cross-sector collaboration and new revenue streams. To help emerging brands develop their sustainability credentials, the council will also relaunch its Fashion Talents incubator programme.

‘Stepping away from the conventional fashion week model has been a difficult, but much considered decision,’ Jennie Rosén, CEO of the Swedish Fashion Council, said in a statement. ‘We need to put the past to rest and to stimulate the development of a platform that is relevant for today’s fashion industry. By doing this we can adapt to new demands, reach sustainability goals and be able to set new standards for fashion.’

As the fashion sector at large seeks to address sustainability, brands and retailers will continue to explore the potential for Immaterial Fashion.

Former post office revived with rooftop park and farm

POST by OMA New York, Houston

Houston – OMA is transforming a former post office into a mixed-use complex featuring one of the world’s largest rooftop parks and farms.

The architectural practice has announced the redevelopment of the historic Barbara Jordan Post Office in downtown Houston, which will be renamed Post Houston. One of the stand-out elements of the cultural complex will be Skylawn, a five-acre rooftop park and organic farm designed by Chicago-based landscape architects Hoerr Schaudt.

Post Houston will also house site-specific art installations and a concert venue, alongside retail, office and flexible co-working concepts. Restaurants, bars and an international market hall will also feature on the site. Of note, the property’s culinary tenants will be able to source ingredients from the rooftop farm, allowing them to offer visitors a rooftop-to-table dining experience. As such, the development shows how New Urban Farms can be purposefully incorporated into mixed-use developments.

Stat: Young Americans aren’t paying for the news

US consumers are still largely averse to paying for news content, according to a report by Comscore. The study, which decodes the mindsets of US consumers within various age groups, found that Generation Z are the least likely cohort to pay for news, with 87% of respondents agreeing with this. Meanwhile, 82% of Millennials do not pay for news, compared to 85% of Generation X.

While companies such as The New York Times have recently been pushing their subscription packages, media brands are still struggling to convince consumers to pay a premium for reliable news stories. ‘From a content perspective, it appears crucial for publishers to find ways to bring to life how big news events directly impact younger consumers – and bring this level of impact to the forefront when they present news,’ reads the report.

Media brands must find innovative and intriguing ways to make the news valuable for younger consumers. Read our interview with Clara Ormières, creator of Unreal Plots, to see how augmented reality can change the way we interact with the news.

Thought-starter: Can urban mobility be more sustainable?

Project 1 by EAV and New Territory

Forget the behavioural whims of generation X, Y or Z, says Luke Miles, co-founder and creative director of design studio New Territory – travel in tomorrow’s cities will be grounded in environmental necessity.

A lot of discussions about designing future mobility are framed around meeting the anticipated needs and character traits of the next generation. For example, how can we make concepts like autonomy, co-ownership and car-sharing work for a generation who may not prioritise ownership and are accustomed to convenience? But this approach can be a limiting way to look at future mobility.

Instead, we should be designing future mobility around the challenging global realities we’re facing – climate change, public health crises and over-densification – and look at what, by necessity, our mobility solutions will have to look like to respond to these.

Firstly, if we truly want to address the big issues facing future generations, then we need to take a much more composite view of how we plan, envision and design our cities.

And with all this talk of future vehicle typologies, we mustn’t forget the greenest, heathiest and least-congesting mobility solution of them all: walking.

Read the full Opinion piece here.