IPPSO is a transdisciplinary research initiative exploring the future of phygital public spaces and their impact on democracy, human rights, and urban life.
Initially called Transdisciplinary Legal, Public Policy, and Design Research on Immersive Phygital Public Spaces in Smart Cities, the project explores the intersection of law, policy, and design in the governance of phygital public spaces, where digital layers mediate human interactions and shape urban experiences. Bringing together legal scholars, designers, and policymakers, the project develops new methodologies for regulating emerging technologies such as smart glasses and spatial computing in urban settings.
What are Phygital Spaces?
A Phygital Space is an environment where the physical and digital realms seamlessly merge, creating a hybrid experience. These spaces are enabled by extended reality (XR), AI-driven interactions, and smart sensor technologies, allowing digital layers to enhance, mediate, or personalize human interactions within physical settings. Unlike traditional physical spaces or purely digital platforms, Phygital Spaces introduce dynamic, context-aware interactions, where individuals navigate environments enriched with real-time data, algorithmic decision-making, and immersive digital overlays. This integration redefines public space, social engagement, and governance, raising new challenges in privacy, autonomy, and digital accessibility, while also offering unprecedented opportunities for civic participation, inclusive design, and adaptive urban planning. Our research revealed critical insights that challenge existing regulatory paradigms and propose a new conceptual – “the Ethics of Interactions” for capturing the broader social, cultural, and emotional dimensions of AI-driven interactions and addressing the regulatory challenges associated with phygital spaces.
Through speculative design and policy research, IPPSO offers actionable insights to navigate the challenges of AI-driven phygital urban environments, ensuring inclusive, ethical, and democratic governance of tomorrow’s cities.
Our approach integrates legal analysis with speculative design workshops conducted in Jerusalem and Potsdam, engaging 60 participants across government, industry, academia, and civil society. Using gamified, scenario-based methods, we explored policy blind spots, power asymmetries, and socio-technical frictions inherent to phygital public spaces. Our research proposes innovative policy frameworks, such as the Ethics of Interactions, to ensure that technological progress aligns with human rights and democratic values.
A unique aspect of the project is its comparative approach, incorporating perspectives from European and non-European contexts, particularly Israel and Germany. IPPSO is a collaborative effort between UCLAB at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, the Bezalel Academy for Arts and Design in Jerusalem, and the Israel Democracy Institute. It is generously funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.