Not so public forum
Through my limited experience working with Charleston’s Civic
Design Center and being involved in regular public forums, I have gained a
small amount of knowledge about how the public’s voice is heard and what
happens after the meeting is over. I know that the city’s design team and an
architecture firm are not on the same level for several reasons, but the
process is similar and the “why” is hopefully the same. At one meeting in
particular, residents voiced their concerns about a certain design of a
project, but no one who would actually be making the project happen (engineers,
architects, contractors, etc.) were at the meeting. It’s almost as if the
meeting was held just to appease the residents. And if they did actually listen
to the public, the makers of the project would be relying on the word of other
council people and politicians as to decipher what the public’s needs were. In
this specific case, there was a huge disconnect between the public and the city
and the “why” that De Carlo spoke about.
No one wants to play telephone, but it seems that in BAR meetings and other forums this is exactly what happens. No one, besides the architect, can decipher exactly the difference between the actual "wants" and "needs" of the client. So it doesn't make sense that they are not there. I'm assuming they don't come because of trying to maintain an untarnished reputation with the public so that they don't lose work.
ReplyDeleteI think that is a good example of the "designing FOR vs designing WITH" concept from the reading. In Charleston is often felt like they were designing FOR the people, which often came across as authoritarian rather than participatory.
ReplyDeleteI think the majority of architects design "FOR" instead of "WITH" most likely because it just simplifies the process. The fewer people who get to have an opinion, the less time it takes to complete the design. In a sense, this could be seen as beneficial to the client because a faster design and construction process means less money spent. On the other hand, I really do believe that a collaborative process with clients and the public will create a more dynamic project that reflects the wants, needs, and values of those who will be using it.
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