In this special installment of the Geomedia Speaker Series, we reach out to practitioners as well as academics in an effort to rethink the role of geomedia in the design of different places and in relation to different forms of local life. The event is intended to spark critical as well as creative discussions around issues like belonging, participation and authenticity.

• How can we plan and design places for social interaction and togetherness in an era when people live much of their lives online (that is, in many places at the same time)?
• How can new media technology contribute to local identities without reproducing rigid boundaries between "us" and "them"?
• When and where is it important to create places of disconnection – and, conversely, what happens to places that do not live up to the "connectivity norm"?