Redefined Space

This week’s discussion about everyday urbanism got me thinking about the ways in which everyday life is reflected in our built environment. Margaret Crawford points out that “Lived experience should be more important than physical form in defining the city . . . The city is, above all, a social product, created out of the demands of everyday use and the social struggles of urban inhabitants.” It is always interesting to study projects where people completely redefine the use of a space that was intended to be used for a completely different purpose. This just goes to show that though we are supposed to be experts on how humans use space, it is still important to listen to our clients and the public to ask them about their needs instead of assuming them, and coming up with creative solutions to fulfill the needs that people aren’t even aware that they have in the first place.