Themed Subway cars
Alexandra Fehnel (Harvard), Leon Grillet (CRI), Najoua Medroumi (Frateli), Dan Roman (Harvard)
Although millions of people use the Paris metro on a daily basis, interaction between strangers is rare. Our project aims to disrupt these daily habits through the introduction of themed subway cars, in the hope of creating spontaneous connections between individuals with shared interests.
In looking at Paris like a living system, we have drawn inspiration from the compartmentalization and signaling present in vesicle transport. Capitalizing on the modernization of the subway by metro2030 and the availability of real-time information for passengers, we plan to provide commuters with enough underground signaling, similar to that of vesicles, to cluster into their desired train cars.
As an initial model, we want to begin installing this system in the RER and later expand it to the metro lines. Using on-train cameras and online feedback, we hope to ascertain how our initial model fostered social interaction by creating a shared experience among commuters.
