public space

description

Kid Krafting is a series of hypothetical playground equipment pieces designed to solicit inquiry into the over-safety of contemporary playgrounds. Growing research reveals the importance of risky play in childhood development and the psychopathologic consequences of cotton-coated play. Playgrounds today do not provide the opportunities and challenges that a child needs to grow, resulting in the development of anxiety in children.

description

Project Tunnel Vision implemented several activities to see what does and does not work in co-creating with children. An activity booklet was tested, along with playground building with shapes and pieces, an obstacle course and fort building session in a gymnastics studio, as well as in-playground play and game making. Some activities were distracting, some outcomes were predictable, and some activities were very surprising. One thing was certain about the co-creation activities: that simply being around the children gave the design team immense insight into how they play and see the world.

description

Local Interactive Trails is a website and systems design that encourages users to create and share their own urban walking experiences. Once a route is uploaded on the LIT website, the creator puts up queues in the form of stickers for both directional instructions and observational instructions. The system encourages users to explore and share their findings without using a mobile device once outside. Local Interactive Trails empowers pedestrians to reclaim public space and share their findings with other urban explorers.

description

Public Exploration Spaces is a city-run initiative by the City of Vancouver that attempts to share the secret and coveted spaces of more adventurous pedestrians. By reporting an interesting space users enable the City of Vancouver to implement temporary barriers and space-makers that encourage the entry of all pedestrians. This in turn creates a community presence that promotes creative walking and encourages entry to ambiguous public spaces.

description

Project Tunnel Vision is an investigation into the contemporary playground environment. Upon exploring various problems with modern playgrounds it was learnt that children are not included in the design process, and when they were it was generally a token gesture. The purpose of this systems design is to put children at the front lines of the design process. By consulting children with a number of constructive activities, a context-specific design is created via community engagement. Once a playground has been designed by both the children and the design team, it is shown to the client and goes through several revisions by the client and children co-creation team.

description

While the city regularly assesses the demand for public amenities within municipal jurisdiction and monitors the success of new amenities, or ones that have become “problem amenities” (misused), rarely is a thorough review completed from a designer’s perspective.  The complexities behind the process, beginning with public demand and communication to the municipality and ending with the proposed design fully integrated within a community, requires an independent third party who can bridge both interests.

The idea? PublicWorks: A Designer's Union.