It's All About Balance

Architects answer questions of ‘how’ rather than ‘why’ which keeps them designing for those in power and, thus, perpetuating these power structures. The only way to break free of this design practice is ‘process planning,’ or user participation in architecture. Architecture then abandons its quest for solutions in favor of a constant state of becoming. The architect must welcome disruption and adjust to an ever-changing reality.

Yet, there is a fine balance between hearing to the desires of the people and proposing better solutions. We must keep in mind that the public is not expert in architectural thinking, so their point of view of what design should be will differ from those of the architect.

Constructive and effective participation appears when the designer understands the correct and inappropriate methods to inquire for it and when they should stop having conversations and start producing quality design. At times more involvement is needed for a project than others because too much participation can lead to slower development times and account for the lack of innovation within a design. There is a time and a place for having an abundance of community participation and when it is only going to confuse the project.