Community Engaged Design’s Next Step
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| Engagement session input |
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| Exhibition design |
De Carlo’s uncannily still relevant Architecture’s Public,
emphasizes the importance of the user becoming an active participant in the design
process. Today, community engaged design is a growing approach to the design
process that is gaining traction year by year.
In undergrad, I gained some experience in community engaged
design: we were working with a ‘Youth Researchers’ group from an
underrepresented local high school. We were tasked with designing an exhibition
to showcase the group’s work: they researched and collected people’s visions of
how to challenge the narratives that continue to reproduce unequal outcomes for
the Latinx communities in the city. Our exhibition design displayed quotes from
community members and pinpointed them on a map to show which neighborhood that
person belonged to. The experience was good exposure for a student to the potential
of the community driven design process.
However, I feel like these community engaged sessions always
end in a collection of quotes and buzz words that architects are left to interpret
(which I understand is part of the special knowledge of the profession that we
absolutely do not want to lose).
After all, if architecture is for the people, is there a way
for this process to find a balance between empowering the user even more and the
profession losing its value? Is there a way to use technology to bridge the gap
between user input and the early spatial/programming process? Could we leverage
augmented reality technologies to create a simplified hands on software?
That's great that you had the opportunity to work in community-engaged design.
ReplyDeleteTo your question about finding a happy medium between user empowerment and value of the profession: ultimately, we are the professionals with the design education and technical knowledge. I would think that including the public more often would increase their design-awareness, possibly resulting in better everyday buildings.
I agree that architects and the public should search for a place that is "in-between". Certainly architects should do their part and work towards translating their special knowledge for the benefit of the public. I think a successful example of a positive relationship between community member and architect is our own studio where Andy has become involved with our proposals for Anderson. He has his ear to the ground regarding the community and has done a great job of immersing himself into our studio language.
ReplyDeleteModern architecture's arrival in South Carolina was delayed, and parts of the state are still dominated by old structures and junk space with little in between. So, how will you, as architects, productively engage people who have limited experience with varied architectural styles or who lack skills to think or talk critically about spaces? While I believe that community-engaged design is worth doing, it has to be messy, right? I would expect community engagement to often test the interpersonal and leadership skills--not to mention the patience--of any architect.
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