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A New Decentraland

Part 1 Project 2022
Bodhi Horton
University of Westminster | UK
There is a growing divide between the affluence of virtual worlds and the decline of the places on the periphery of our urban centres. Due to status quo regeneration schemes, places such as those on the Thames Gateway are rapidly falling out of touch with the technologies of tomorrow. In this way, they are stuck in the melancholic image of their industrial past. Given the imminent rise of web 3.0, and the confusion around how this will shape our societies, perceptions of place on the periphery have never been a more sensitive area for potential change.

A New Decentraland speculates on a model for urban revival that stems from the decentralised systems of web 3.0, and extends these into the fragmented urban landscape of Gravesend. Through the integration of a virtual world embassy, the project aims to radically transform perceptions of both the town and the virtual world. It proposes new relationships between industry, nature and technology that provides a gateway into a virtual image of Gravesend. With this, the affluence and growth of the virtual image can give back to this declining place, repairing Gravesend’s relationship with its context, and generating new, sustainable models of opportunity.


Tutor(s)


2022
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