Story Time!
Once upon a time, in a land far, far, not really far away (Asheville, Spring 2017), a design team was commissioned by the city to put forth a proposal for the development of a site in the heart of downtown, a site mired in history and significance, dear in the hearts of the residents of this quaint little mountain village. A meeting was organized between members of the design team and representatives of the public. In attendance were members of the design team (4 people?), the "public" representatives (16ish), a pair of local (I think) architects with a Sketchup model, a member of the city council (who was NOT supposed to be there), and we, the members of "Constructing the Void" Fluid Studio, led by Prof. Ufuk Ersoy and Doug (6 graduate students and some undergrads whom I've since forgotten), there to help facilitate the dialog. Among the representatives were a few elderly individuals who possessed an astounding knowledge of the city's history and identity, a beautiful blonde busker known as ~Geronimo~, some local business owners that I found to be not particularly noteworthy, and a few outspoken (loud and belligerent) individuals whose entire purpose at the meeting seemed to be to derail the process.
The meeting began with an overview of the site, its size and relationship with surrounding buildings. Then the local (I think) architects stepped in with their model and showed what could be done with the site, building of various size and height, removal of inconvenient streets, etc. (It was quickly determined that a four story building would NOT block out the sun and usher in 100 years of darkness) The representatives then broke up into small teams led by member of the design team or one of the professors, and assisted by the grad students. The teams entered into long discussions (some amiable, others quite heated) of the site, its needs and concerns, context both historical and existing, traffic issues, sight issues, usage issues, culminating in the production of a diagram expressing the identified needs of the site. The consensus of the majority (outspoken individuals excluded) was the need for a site containing both commercial space as well as accessible and sensitive public space. When the meeting came to a close (after like 5 hours, idk), expressions of exhaustion were made, people said goodbye, and everyone went their separate ways.
quality.
ReplyDelete10/10 would read again
ReplyDeleteI would be curious to know how the 'participating' community members reacted to the students design work vs. the 'professionals'. Were they more likely to criticize students more because they aren't the experts in the room? I think that dynamic would be interesting to compare to this weeks articles.
ReplyDeleteGreat post about a "real" situation. It sounds like this community meeting represents most that I have ever attended where the majority of the population don't care to attend and you end up with the loud and belligerent types to remain. I have experienced this many times with the Iowa caucus, voters end up swaying in their decision because they just want to finally go home.
ReplyDeleteUgh, you stole my blog post idea Will! But yes, I completely agree with everything you said, we started that meeting with a group wanting a building there and a group wanting a green space and by the end of that long five hour session, nothing had changed at all. So how much good is the public's voice if it cannot affect changes?
ReplyDeleteSteal it back! Don't let your dreams be dreams!
DeleteThis is THE most accurate account of that day Will, bravo.
ReplyDeletelike "people said goodbye, and everyone went their separate ways"
ReplyDeleteI tucked this memory away, Will. That was the most amount of energy ever put into three(?) bubble diagrams. That poor girl controlling the sketchup model, one-story massed too high and the room revolted.
ReplyDeleteSuper blog post and unfortunate reality. I wonder if user groups should have meetings with themselves before they meet with the designers to talk about what they want? Obviously there will never be one thing completely agreed upon by everyone (everyone probably thinks their idea is best after all), but could this be a possible solution to make a more efficient and clear meeting between designers and users?
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