The Social Side by mmenca

The Social Side unquantifiable SOCIAL qualities of a Liveable city

Contents Prologue................................................................................2 A Snap-shot of Previous Works......................................4 Acknowledgements...........................................................5 Dedications...........................................................................6 Abstract...................................................................................8 Key words............................................................................. 9 Research Question...........................................................10 Field of interests................................................................11 Introduction......................................................................14 Chapter 1: Field of Practice Liveable Cities..................................................................18 Social City Dynamics.......................................................20 Active vs Passive Behaviours........................................23 Rise of the Giga-city ........................................................25 Tactical Urbanism............................................................27 Conclusion..........................................................................29 Participation.....................................................................34 Active Participation..........................................................37 Public Participation..........................................................39 By the People: For the People......................................41 Conclusion..........................................................................42 Chapter 2: Tools & Methods Service and Co-Design....................................................45 Provocative Artist Explorations....................................47 Tactical Urbanism & Urban Play.................................48

Experiments & Explorations Public Question Box: What makes you Happy?.....52 Unfocused walks............................................................. 56 Docklands Explorations.................................................59 Cultural Probe: Post it notes.........................................62 Swap a Story for an Apple.............................................63 Chapter 3: Design Development Design Development.......................................................68 Library of Objects..............................................................69 A Story Telling platform..................................................70 Tools for a Temporary Happening..............................71 Collaboration with Laneway Learning .....................73 Laneway Qualities............................................................74 Prototyping.......................................................................75 CAD Design and 3D print................................................77 Prototyping Dowel Legs.................................................79 Worktops.............................................................................80 Prototyping in Context....................................................82 Chapter 4: Proposition and Conclusion Proposal...............................................................................85 Conclusion..........................................................................92 Bibliography.....................................................................93 Appendix ...........................................................................95

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It could be a city so flexible that it could change continually, always revealing another of its sides depending on how you approach it. Some people would find it monstrous while others would consider it diversified and inspiring.â&#x20AC;? - Jovis Verlag

Abstract Melbourne has been repeatedly ranked one of the ‘Most Liveable Cities’ in the world – a ranking based on data such as public health, crime rates and infrastructure. There is however, another quality to liveability that is harder to quantify, which is the social side of the city; the personable, socially inclusive side. The city is predicted to double its current 4 million population within the next 30 years, so as the urban environment is built up around us to accommodate rapid population growth, how might we foster a liveable city that builds authentic, vibrant public spaces and resilient communities that are valued by inhabitants and admired by visitors? This project has explored the work of artists, designers and practitioners who utilize tools within the fields of public participation, Tactical

Urbanism, Place-making and Urban design. A variety of public experiments, forms of social engagement and physical prototyping were undertaken and have been influential to the project’s development. The project proposes a set of ‘pop-up props’ for temporarily occupying laneways within the City of Melbourne. In collaboration with Laneway Learning, the objects have been designed to function as tools for re-envisioning the use of laneways as places for exchanging skills and knowledge through informal workshops. The prop objects are modular and understated to adapt to the unique structural and ephemeral characteristics of each laneway and its uses. The Social Side aspires to foster the social evolution of public spaces to support a ‘Liveable City’ that allows us to explore and learn from our collective social diversity.

key words Melbourne Most Liveable Cities Tactical Urbanism Urban Design Social Dynamics Placemaking

How might we use temporary tactics to influence public spaces in the city of melbourne that are valued by the community and admired by visitors?

Introduction What is a liveable city? Imagine it is the year 2050, you are one of 8 Million people who live in the city of Melbourne. What does it look like? How does it feel? Is it a place you want to spend your idle time in; or a place you cannot wait to escape? Do you belong? A future city awaits us with even more technology and modernized systems and services, yet human beings will more or less stay the same and require the same amount of human interaction, inclusion and intimacy. Whilst our public spaces and services are built up around us to make us more self sufficient, we are social beings that have existed in tribes, clans and villages; thriving on social interaction and human engagement. The internet and our smart phones connect us to a wealth of knowledge and ability to socialize with our entire friendship group in a matter of minutes.

Will community still exist on a human scale? How can we harness our social awareness of each other to ensure we encourage the growth of a liveable and consequentially a more sustainable city? This thesis will discuss ‘Giga-cities’, rapid population growth; what it means to be ranked a ‘Liveable City’ and how public spaces play an important role in healthy social interactions that allow us to understand each other and celebrate our diversity. It aims to forge a strong case for prioritizing public spaces that meet our human need of healthy social interactions that are imperative to our wellbeing and to propose a tangible solution. It will discuss exemplary projects by various artists, designers and practitioners, who utilize tools in co-design and social sciences to investigate human interactions in urban spaces to inform city planning and policy makers.

Chapter 1: field of practice

U Is for UrbanIsatION

Liveable Cities: Introduction Ur-ban-iz-a-tion is happening faster than our ancestors would have expected. For the first time ever, the majority of the world’s population live in cities and this proportion continues to grow. One hundred years ago, 2 out of every 10 people lived in an urban area. It is expected by 2050, this proportion will increase to 70% of people living in urban areas (W.H.O, Urban Population Growth). This essay will compare the practices of China and Melbourne and focus on the importance of meeting our social needs in the urban environment to ensure a liveable city that is consequentially more sustainable. ‘Most Liveable City’ is a term used to rank and discuss the well being of inhabitants of cities and towns, community strength, physical health and to increase civic social engagement through the built environment of our cities, suburbs and towns (The Value of Rankings and the Meaning of Livability, Making Cities livable). These rankings vary, with Forbes (Rapoza 2013 Forbes) and Mercer (Quality of Living Reports)

who have based their data and statistical analysis on themes that parallel Maslow’s (Maslow 1954) Hierarchy of Needs- at base level, the physiological needs of food, shelter and water to the need for security and safety and low crimes rate. However, Monocle (2009) and various other urban designers and practitioners such as Jan Gehl and The Grattan Institute recognize the equal importance of ‘belonging’, ‘Esteem’ and ‘Self actualization’- themes used from the perspective that community strength and a social understanding of each other can be used to tackle the basic human needs through empathy and working together. These practitioners have identified that ‘Good cities are places of social encounter’(Mehta, V. 2013). The need for human interaction and inclusion has come to the forefront of discussions when planning public places, and various cities around the world have either embraced and prioritized this or turned a blind eye and ended the conversation.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The public domain involves a tension between strangeness and familiarity, activity and idleness, purposeful and purposeless behavior.â&#x20AC;? -Feldtkeller, A. (1994)

Social City Dynamics As fast as cities grow and modernize to keep up with population growth, humans will, more or less, stay physically the same in flesh and blood and inherent social behaviours with a need for inclusion and a sense of belonging (Dalsgaard, A. M. 2013, The Human Scale). Danish architect Jan Gehl is one of the world’s leading authorities on creating ‘liveable cities’. His firm ‘Gehl Architects’ specializes in ‘urban quality consulting’ to help cities such as Melbourne improve public life (Walljasper, J. How to revitalize a city). Daily encounters with public spaces of streets and squares provide us with a sociopsychological environment and common ground, that urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg argues- provides us with a healthy life balance between our private home lives and work spaces; allowing us to satisfy our human need for contact, play, relaxation and communication. (Oldenburg, 1991) The public realm is pluralistic in culture; a social, economic and political space that is ambiguous, ever changing, interactive, full of complexities and contradictions and with diverse meanings for all (Mehta, 2013, p.7).

Although co-existing in the urban environment also exposes us to frictions with acquaintances or strangers it is seen as key to building a healthy tolerance of opposing ideas with a sharing of different perspectives (Mehta, 2013, p.112). Gehl’s approach, compared with Maslow’s theory, (Maslow 1954) focuses on the top needs of the pyramid, an approach acknowledged even more so by companies such as the CoDesign Studio who use tools such as desktop walk throughs and cultural probes to work closely with stakeholders to create resilient communities able to tackle social and physical issues. The Social Cities 2012 report by The Grattan Institute also recognizes social connection as a critical and fundamental source of happiness and wellbeing, highlighting that this becomes most apparent when it is absent. Loneliness can have serious health consequences, with a similar impact to high blood pressure, lack of exercise, obesity, or smoking (Kelly, J.-F. 2012 Grattan)

21 Eskerod, T, 2012 Superkilen Park, Copenhagen, Denmark

What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people” -Whyte, W. H. (1980)

Active vs Passive Behaviours Street activities range from walking, ambling, sitting, lying, people watching, reading, talking, smoking, kissing, and an endless list of actions and behaviors that are seen to fall into two categories- Active/Direct or Passive/Indirect social behaviour (Mehta, 2013)(Cromwell 2013). ‘Active’ participation refers to direct verbal interaction with friends, family, strangers and acquaintances; ‘Passive’ social interactions are non-verbal, and shared between strangers and ‘familiar strangers’ as a form of being ‘alone together’ (Milgram, 1997)(Mehta, 2013, p. 100). Elaborated; within a ‘passive’ interaction, people seek out places to be alone in public where others are present, even if they do not intend to directly interact with or participate in any social behaviour. It is a notion that is strongly related to territorial and proximity behaviours. Territorialism is a human spatial behaviour that involves permanently or temporarily laying claim to ownership of an area and personalizing it with the use of physical and symbolic barriers (Lang 1987). It creates a sense of value, attachment and personalization between the occupant and the physical setting and is seen to be beneficial to creating pride in

the public realm (Brower, 1980). ‘Proxemics’ is a term used to describe personal space and the distance we come into contact with other people when actively or passively participating in the public realm (Mehta, 2013). Mehta (2013) conveys this distance as less than 0.5m, at which individuals exchange a sensorial experience of thermal body heat, smell, touch, speech and whispers. The display of such a close and intimate proximity in the public realm can not only reveal a high level of ease for those engaged but signal that message for new comers to the street or urban environment. As the distance of proximity widens, it eventually reaches the ‘social distance’ of 1.2m -3.6 m, allowing people to maintain a private space in the company of others without expectation of direct interactionanother example of passive interaction. Mehta argues that with these behaviours taken into account, the street can be a desirable place for gathering, lingering, and a range of social activities and sense of community (Mehta, 2013 p.204).

Active

Passive

Verbal, Direct

Non-verbal, In-direct

“The Mega-City is a reality, and it looks a lot like the visions of science ficiton films. Giga-Cities are soon to be. In the midst of this cold, bleak vision of the future, we have the human being. It is personal, warm, social..” - The Human Scale 2013

Rise of the Giga-city China, being a country with some of the biggest growing cities in the world, is vastly further in its developments of city planning and on a much larger scale (Kotkin, J. 2013 The World’s Fastest-Growing Megacities, Forbes). The question is: does rapid urbanization necessarily mean that cities become dehumanizing or can they be places of human interaction, providing a sense of belonging? China’s traditional ‘Hutongs’, located in the old town of Beijing are alleyways and courtyards that typically created vibrant neighbourhood life— are now being demolished to make way for urban sprawl and 10-lane expressways with residents finding themselves isolated by their superblocks, discouraged from cycling and walking (Energy Founadation, 2011). It provides us with an example of the harsh but realistic destruction of community life, collective memories and a shared sense of community (Abramson, 1997)(Wang 2013). Although there are many grim stories, there are silver linings of hope as China adopts ‘Planning Cities for People’– a set of design principles jointly created by the ClimateWorks Foundation, the Institute for Transportation

and Development Policy, Calthorpe Associates, and the China Sustainable Energy Program (CSEP), an initiative to help China design and build cities that are liveable, prosperous and efficient through promoting pedestrian mixed use neighbourhoods (Energy Foundation Report 2011). Cities have managed to turn dim futures into fruitful ones, and this has been the case for Melbourne also. Rob Adams, Director of City Design for the City of Melbourne saw Melbourne transform from a city in the 1980’s that was ‘dying’, turning it into a culturally thriving 24-hour city (Dalsgaard, 2013, The Human Scale)(Adams, From Industrial Cities to Eco-Urbanity.). Now the alleyways of Melbourne have a bustling life with cafes, bars and social liaisons that harken back to China’s Hutongs.

Tactical Urbanism Artists and other creative thinkers have also taken the matter into their own hands, by creating social events and environments for participation and human engagement. The notion of ‘Tactical Urbanism’, is based on the principle of improving the liveability of cities through strategic action (Lydon 2012). The paper divides these into ‘sanctioned’ projects that collaborate with local government and official stakeholders and ‘unsanctioned’ projects that are action based problem solving, implemented without legal approval (Lydon, 2012). One example of tactical urbanism includes ‘Park(ing) Day’, an initiative that transforms street car park spots into public spaces (Park(ing) Day 2005-2013).Lydon, M (2012) states that the

27 Above: Locke, J, 2013, Urban bookshelf, New York

aim of Tactical Urbanism is to “demonstrate potential opportunities without spending on big budgets”. The Local government could spend $30,000 on a temporary plaza before investing $3,000,000 on changes that are permanent without exhausting funds.Other tactical initiatives have included pop-up shops and one of the most recent successes: New York City’s Time Square revitalization, in which 2.5 acres of new pedestrian space was created using paint and temporary materials as a 6 month pilot which has now eventuated as a permanent established plaza (Sadik-Khan 2013). It is an attempt to re-imagine a city on a small scale. To provide a suggestion of what could be through demonstrating public use and interactions. Right: Dovey, K, 1985, Swanston St, Melbourne

Park(ing) Day (2005-2013) where car parks across major cities are transformed into intimate seated pedestrian spaces has become a world wide phenomena. This notion has been extended through projects such as 3000 Acres in Melbourne - where an online site connects unused sites and community stakeholders to utilize the land for growing food in turn influencing city planning policies (Schwartz, 3000 Acres). Elsewhere in Yarraville, a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pop up parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; closes off a main street, creating an astro-turfed pedestrian space that connects the small shops and cafes on either side of the street (Byrne 2014). Although temporal, it resurfaces every summer with a growing popularity that has prompted the local council to consider creating a permanent pedestrian precinct.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before the city there was the hamlet and the shrine and the village: before the village, the camp, the cache, the cave, the cairn; and before all these there was a disposition to social life that man plainly shares with many other animal species.â&#x20AC;? -Mumford, L. (1961)

29 Warren, D, 2014, Yoga in Times Square, New York City

Conclusion In conclusion, focus on the social side of ‘Liveable Cities’ has revealed a great need for human interaction and social engagement in the public realm – allowing us to build tolerance towards one another, reduce isolation, increasing our sense of belonging and building equilibrium within the community. As humans we have lived in tribes, clans, villages and in our natural state we are together, so how can we ensure that this basic human need gets met? The work of Jan Gehl has greatly influenced the decisions of our city, yet with lack of time, money, changes of government and rapid urbanization, we cannot be certain that the design of

healthy social public spaces will be prioritized as future buildings rise up around us. As we have seen examples of cities that are rapidly urbanising due to their increasing population, we can identify and learn from the major failings to the quality of life of their inhabitants. We have explored the benefits of temporal spaces and happenings in the urban environment that is in constant influx and how they can create movements of great change. As we enter a race against time, it feels important to observe the workings of the pioneers and advocates of ‘liveability’ to construct the scaffolding needed to support a healthy network of people connected to place.

Placemaking: What makes a great place? Pride

Social networks volunteerism Evening use Street life

Traffic data Transit usage Pedestrian activity Parking usage patterns

Diverse Friendly Cooperative Neighbourly Interactive WelcominG

Sociability

Continuity Access & Proximity Linkages Connected Readable Walkable Convenient Accessible

Sustainable Active Vital Useful Valued Uses & Indigenous Activites Celebratory

Comfort & Image

Safe Clean â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Walkable Sittable Spiritual Historic

Local Business ownership Land-use patterns Property values Rent levels Retail Sales

Crime statistics Sanitation rating Building conditions Environmental data

Based on PPS mapping 2005

P Is for Participation

Participation: Introduction Whether it be that I am the product of being raised by a mother who is an Artist and spending my childhood in white washed galleries where the words ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ echoed in my ears, or whether it is an instinctual response, I have personally found myself drawn to art that is participatory. Hence why I might have chosen to pursue a career in Design- where you can touch, prod and poke all you like. We all differ from the amount of engagement we feel comfortable with and within the 21st century we have been given many tools to engage with and stay well within our comfort zones. This is especially the case with social media and applications such as Instagram, providing us with sharing platforms with degrees of privacy and anonymity. The act of civic participation is extensively explored through ‘active’ and ‘direct’ levels of interaction has been investigated by artists and designers within the urban environment to give voice to members of the public, create social interactions, provoke thought or share ideas and visions (Mehta 2013)(Cromwell 2013). Participate Melbourne- City of Melbourne, has become a facilitator of creative projects that encourage civic participation engaging in discussions and decision making with community stakeholders. Their most recent development being ‘Melbourne for All People’, which aims to redevelop the city planning strategy to help

strengthen opportunities for community stakeholders regardless of age, ability or background (Melbourne for All People 2014-27 Strategy). Previous strategies categorized members of the public by age and ability, and are now acting to work with the community as a whole. Capire, a Melbourne consulting agency have frequently been employed to facilitate pop-up information sessions and forums to engage civic participation to share big ideas. In the recent forum, co-design tools were used from brainstorming issues with post it notes and round table discussions paired with tea and lunch breaks. Participating in the forum myself, not only allowed me to discuss my point of view, but also hear opposing perspectives and reasons. The plan posed 6 main ‘principles’ to cover in the new plan. Of particular interest were ‘Connection’ – through strengthening connections between people of different ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds, ‘Life long learning’ – creating spaces and events for exchanging of knowledge and ‘Having a voice’ – Providing communities with opportunities for civic participation to express values (Melbourne for All People 2014-27 Strategy). By allowing the public to interact and interpret a project from an outsider’s perspective, it allows for unexpected outcomes and a greater understanding of civic needs (Bishop 2006).

QUOTE/ STATEMENT PLACE HERE

35 Soulpancake 2014, ‘Take a seat & make a friend’

Active participation Degrees of participation vary from person to person, an example of this is identified in ‘social technographics’; classifying people as to how they participate through social technology. Compared with the study of ‘Active’ and ‘Passive’ social behaviours, it identifies user types such as ‘creators’ and ‘spectators’, identifying the different forms of social behaviours and interactions (Mehta 2013)(Bernoff 2008). Participation exists within our day to day lives through individual expression like playing the guitar in one’s bedroom (Steven & Ivey 2007, p.27) to passing through city spaces; a social

37 Soulpancake 2014, ‘Take a seat & make a friend’

setting in which we share ground with other members of the public from different walks of life. In the recent movie ‘The Human Scale” (2013) Jan Gehl, poses the rhetorical question: Do we shape cities or do cities shape us? Referring to the idea that the planning of a city can greatly impact how we respond and behave socially with one another in the built environment. As an urban designer, Gehl has spent over 40 years observing and studying this topic and has become a pioneer of designing for ‘the human scale’; a scale that factors in our human need for inclusion, engagement and intimacy. Melbourne and other cities around the world

have adopted similar principles, acknowledged that happy humans can equal to healthy economies and city vibrancy. (Energy Foundation 2011)(Kelly, J.-F. B. P., Davis. C, Hunter. A, Mares. P, Mullerworth. D, Weidmann. B, 2012)(Adams). Active social interactions have been triggered through temporary projects such as Gap Filler, which started as a series of community building projects after the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch. Using unoccupied sites they created temporary spaces for dancing outside, watching films and getting people together in a welcoming social setting with the believe that ‘temporary projects are just as important as

re-building the city (Gap Filler 2013). Another example of active forms of interaction are Soul Pancake’s projects, such as the ‘Take a seat, make a friend’ ball pit, where two people could sit in a ball pit and ask each other questions that were written on the balls (Joonam, 2013 Soulpancake), aiming to ‘Ask the life’s big questions’ by setting up temporary activities and objects inviting participation. These projects create opportunities for play, acknowledging the positive influence of the temporary instalment.

public participation Astra Howard is an artist who makes example of our need to connect and understand each other by her series of works that invite members of the public to interact and answer questions such as ‘who are you’ (Howard 2013). Her aim reflects her desire to understand public spaces and the people within them. Soul Pancake follows a similar desire as they set out ‘to answer life’s big questions’ by inviting the public to sit in a ball pit and ask each other questions written on various balls. By the use of temporary playful installations, Howard and Soul Pancake provoke members of the public to converse with and share a

part of themselves toward one another. Both practice a method of face to face ‘active’ contact, a similar method used by acclaimed theatre makers Rimini Protokol in their project 100% Melbourne (2012), a project facilitated by the City of Melbourne by which 100 people were chosen to reflect Melbourne’s demographics from census data to create a living, breathing portrait of Melbourne: part theatre, part reality, and 100% Melbourne. The participants shared their stories and perspectives with one another on stage in front of an audience of other members of the public. There was a positive response from

39 Howard, A. (2000). Public [Private] Living Spaces 2. Sydney, Australia.

both participants and audience members- one of which said “You never get to know someone until you hear their story” (The Making of 100% Melbourne, Rimini Protokoll, 2012). When self-proclaimed ‘Accidental Artist’ Frank Warren, initiated a social experiment by handing out blank postcards to the public requesting them to write an anonymous secret on the front and post it back, an astronomic amount of artistic responses resulted (Warren 2012 TED). Warren not only created a tactile platform for expressing secrets, but also an online data-base where other’s secrets can be shared anonymously-

tapping into both the connective and spectator types of participation, identified in Social Technographics (Bernoff 2008). Online networking and social media has become a platform for sharing ideas with the world” (Lydon 2012 p9). Rapid technology is replacing our need to be physically present in the public realm, yet the popularity of social media reaffirms our basic need for social activity and interaction resulting in diverse, unimagined outcomes (Mehta 2013).

Howard, A. (2012). Who are you?. Sydney, Australia.

By the People: For the People

The City of Melbourne has employed companies such as Capire and Co-Design Studio to create events and activities to invite civic participation to inform city planning. An example of this is in the ‘Melbourne for All People’ strategy (2014), in which a public forum was held on the 4th of June 2014, to discuss ‘big ideas’ – in planning for a diverse and increasing population. By attending this event, I witnessed and conversed with people of different abilities, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds engaging through facilitated activities such as brainstorming responses to the strategy’s 6 new principles of: Connection, Health and Well being, Safety, Having a voice and Access and Inclusion. On another note, a theme became apparent of this workshop and others such as the Global Sustainability Jam (2013) where the day was programmed to move its participants

through small activities, with tea and coffee breaks and lunch provided. This exchange of food for one’s time is a small element, but none the less should be noted, to understand co-design and the methods used by different organisation to attract and engage members of the public. Not only did the event provide a space for discussions with a plethora of various perspectives and values, but an environment where your civic voice could be heard; where your expressions would contribute to the bigger discussion. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (Maslow 1954) starts from the most basic needs for survival yet could be used as a blue print, starting at the top and working down, acknowledging the power in the individual and the accumulation of individuals in community to influence their quality of life.

Conclusion As healthy social interactions within a city have been proven to meet our human need of being part of the bigger picture: of belonging, of understanding and celebrating our differences…how can we prioritize its existence in the evolution of our rapid urbanization? By observing, ‘active’ and ‘passive’ social behaviours the benefits of urban social participation are revealed and can work to inform policy makers, by bringing a voice and a sense of belonging to its inhabitants who interact in the city. By implementing the methods of Jan Gehl, there is a strong potential to bring people of diverse backgrounds together to acknowledge and celebrate differences.

It is crucial to our mental health and wellbeing that we prioritize the need for social and transient spaces in the city, where life long learning can occur and where we can build tolerances to people with different values. Although we may not all act within the ‘active’ realms of participation, but the quieter unspoken ‘passive’ actions of sharing a public space with other strangers- this too is a social behaviour- even if non-verbal, indirect and understated.

Chapter 2: Tools & Methods

“DELIVERING PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES TO URBAN REVITALISATION, GENERATE HIGH SOCIAL IMPACT AND MAKE NEIGHBOURHOOD IMPROVEMENT FASTER, CHEAPER, AND MORE FUN.” – Co-design Studio

Service & Co-Design In this world of Co-design and community orientated projects, practitioners such as Codesign Studio, Capire and Soul Pancake all follow a similar structure to approaching an issue or opportunity. Capire aims their work around 3 principles they coin as ‘The Engagement Triangle’ which include: to ‘Inform Decisions’- engaging community members to contribute to decision making, ‘Build Capacity’ –by educating the community for behaviour change and to ‘Strengthen Relationships’ – building new and or improving relationships within the community (The Engagement Triangle: See Appendix). Co -design Studio similarly works to engage ‘community participation’ through using service design visioning, action plan tools and facilitating workshops to involve the commu-

nity in rapid urban revitalization- guiding community members to take ownership of their neighborhoods and sense of community. Their strategies are dependant on each situation, but include pop-up spaces and activities, urban design and revitalization of under-utilized spaces (Rapid Urban Revitalization toolkit 2014). They encourage participatory approaches to urban revitalization to generate high social impacts in a fun and accessible way. They all ask simple questions to instigate discussion, such as Capire’s facilitated events for Melbourne for all, inviting the public to tell them your “big idea for the city” (Melbourne for All People, 2014), or Co-design Studio’s mood board of “What do you like?” (Co-design, North Richmond Housing Estate, Richmond) and even Astra Howard can be used as an example asking “Who are you?” (Howard 2013).

Provocative Artist Explorations Artists have the power to experiment without purpose or justification, allowing for unimagined outcomes and Astra Howard proves this through her work (Howard, 2000, Public [Private] Living Spaces 2) where she posed questions for members of the public to respond to via a tobacconist shop front. These interventions sparked a high degree of interest and enthusiasm from passers but and also caught the attention of local authorities, Police and security guards who contested her

work. Local councils later acknowledged her ‘action research’ as a beneficial form of civic participation. In a discussion at Jason Mailing’s FOLA participation workshop (Mailing, 2014, Everybody hates audience participation), an audience member commented on how allowing participation, opens up endless outcomes and opportunities for people to respond in their own way and Frank Warren’s Post secret Project (Warren 2012 Half a Million Secrets, TED talk) is an exemplar of this.

47 Howard, A. (2000). Public [Private] Living Spaces 2. Sydney, Australia.

IMAGE

Tactical Urbanism & Urban play Tactical Urbanism is a method used to reenvision and re-adapt public spaces through temporary installments. These can transpire in the form of legal or not so legal happenings. One example of an urban tactic is the conversion of parking spaces to small parklets as part of ‘Par(k)ing day. As the name suggests, it acts a tactical approach to influencing the use of public urban spaces by re-imagining their uses. It uses short term temporary action, to illustrate the potential of long term change. As social and qualitative values are hard to quantify, it acts as a trial to illustrate the potential. As a city is filled with stakeholders who hold different values and opinions, it’s a method that can propose an idea without causing a lot

of friction, as it is seen as temporary. Raumlaborberlin is an example of a Tactical Urbanism response to the contraints placed by city planners in Berlin. Raumlaborberlin is a collective of 8 architects who came together in a collaborative work-structure. They work at the ‘intersection of architecture, city planning, art and urban intervention to address urban renewal’. They pay particular interest to places torn between different systems, time periods or planning, that can not adapt to public life. Raumlabourberlin see city residents as specialists- often dealing with the places on a day to day basis. In a city that is designed from the top up, how might we influence its growth from the ground up starting with the local community.

ExperIments & ExploratIons

Public Question box: What makes you happy? Taking example from Post Secret, Astra Howard and the Co-design studio, I decided to set out and pose a simple question to the public. I put together a plywood box with the question “What makes you happy?” posed on the front and I walked through the streets of Melbourne’s CBD. With Sharpies on hand and crisp response cards at the ready, I welcomed people to anonymously respond to this question. Whether it be that it was a sunny day on a weekend, or a reflection of the city’s familiarity with creative projects, the overall public response was positive- with members of the public eagerly approaching me with the desire to participate. Yet when I undertook the same activity in Sydney, I observed a different level of participation. People did not approach, but would quickly glance sideways to read the message and ask the question to their accompanying friends. It revealed, that although the public didn’t physically participate, the question still

provoked conversation between members of the public. I used Instagram to post up the anonymous responses to allow the audience to share another member of the public’s viewpoint. Interestingly enough, people seemed more interested in the platform for expressing themselves, than seeing the responses via Instagram. Having the Hashtag on my back while I walked the streets, did however allow people to look up the project and subsequently piqued the interest of a young blogger sitting behind me in a café while I was on a break. She found the anonymous responses and wanted to know more, and so approached me. This was also an interesting form of social interaction that I observed. It made me wonder whether having a blog, gave her an almost unspoken ability to become a journalist and approach me, wanting to write up a story about it. Explore whether anonymity, like in the Post Secret project (Warren 2012 Half a Million Secrets, TED talk) allowed people to be more honest and express themselves.

Unfocussed Walks In an attempt to practice observational methods, I took myself on unfocussed walks, where I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aim to look for specific themes, but to simply observe what caught my attention. I did this in both the city and on a smaller scale in my neighborhood of Carlton. Having the perspective of the two different scales of observations allowed me to get a perspective of how we co-exist in different urban scales and environments. In the city I noted places with hubs of activity where people were co-existing and passively socially interacting with one another. In my local suburb, I started to notice small design interventions. It made me reflect on how adaptable humans are. At how many inventive interventionists there were in the community and to question how their lateral thinking could be harnessed to influence sustainable neighbourhoods.

Participation As part of my investigations, I immersed myself into the realm of conversations and happenings in the field of art and co-design by participating in interactive live art events such as F.O.L.A (Festival of Live Art 20014), volunteering for the opening of the School of Life and attending symposiums and forums such as ‘Where is Service Design now?’ and the recent art in public spaces symposium- where art, urban and service design were all discussed. I also had the opportunity to participate in the City of Melbourne’s co-design forum for their new plan ‘Melbourne for all People’. The forum discussed accessibility, mobility, connection, health and safety and learning. By participating I was placed on a table with a variety of stakeholders, which enlightened me to different viewpoints to which I had not previously considered. These insights have influenced my viewpoint and driven my hunch of the value of the potential the project has to offer.

Docklands explorations The new Docklands public Library has become a draw card to the docklands area, which is what lead me to visit. Docklands appears to be embracing temporary projects with as the Seven Seeds pop-up café, a temporary park constructed by Lend Lease a major development company and Docklands Spaces; an initiative created by Renew Australia that hosts small up and coming creative practices. Its development plan envisions pop-up cinema spaces and community run programs. After two weeks of observations, I noted that the foot traffic during the day was minimal. People did not seem to display the social behaviors I had observed in other parts of the city where a diverse mix of people would sit in close proximity to one another. Using an Anemometer and digital sound and temperature device, I recorded the environmental conditions of Docklands. I paralleled these observations with the time

of day and foot traffic. After realizing that the windy waterfront did not appeal as a place for people to spend time in, I decided to explore ways of embracing the wind conditions. I explored this by flying a kite at the Docklands waterfront and followed with a second experiment, where I invited people to ‘Join me’ and ‘Fly a kite’. The desire was to see if one could instigate a happening in an isolated space. The experiment resulted in a Arabic father and son, a young Indian couple and a young Chinese family who each engaged in flying a kite. The kite flying acted a universal language as each participant played with the kites for an extensive amount of time. Although not equipped with a strong hold on the English language, each participant approached the kites with familiarity. It proved the ability for a ‘happening’ to be instigated through simple act of play.

cultural probes: POst it notes After hearing a friend’s encounter with post it note messages on the tram, I decided to trial an idea that prompted members of the public to make their own marks and conversations in public space. Envelopes were handed out to members of the public with post it notes and a note inside that instructed the receiver to write a positive message and stick it in on the wall in Little Latrobe st. A brick wall on little La Landsdale st started to accumulate messages, yet seemed invisible to passers by. It was not until my friend who worked in a café opposite the location prompted her customers to add to the wall that the wheel s really set in motion. It revealed

that when there was a supportive prompt to take action, people would take to the idea, and the more people started posting, the more passers by started noticing the happening and stopped to read the messages and add their own messages. Messages such as “You will never know how much you mean to other people “let it go” and one was even written in Tamil. Although I instigated the action, it was interesting to take a back seat and observe the ripple effect of my first prompt. As individuals posted notes, it became a point of conversation between one another.

swap a Story for an apple Swap a Story for an apple is a method I used to explore the notion of exchange. I was particularly interested to explore exchange of skills, stories and knowledge. The experiment was to also investigate how receptive the public were to unexpected social happenings. The idea was initially inspired by Trade Schoolan organisation that asks students to make a trade for a lesson, as apposed to paying for it with money. The apple was used as a prompt for exchange and came to symbolize different things for different people. Although I initiated the idea with a light hearted attitude, I was awakened to open personal conversations, where I was told stories of lost love, saving a friend from suicide and the extinction of a species of bird. I became a listening ear and a sounding board

for a collection of people who desired to use this sharing platform to express themselves. The experiment triggered an array of conversations and received responses ranging from heartfelt confessions to quirky facts. It revealed how adaptable and accepting members of the public were to a temporary instalment. It allowed for both active and passive interactions to take place and initiated conversations between the public. In the realm of being signed up to a new religion, protest or a monthly sponsorship, I was pleasantly surprised that members of the public were able to distinguish my temporary act as a non-threatening playful approachable gesture.

Chapter 3: Design Development

design development The explorations and experiments that provoked social encounters with members of the public, have lead me to develop concepts that explore city spaces and platforms for sharing and exchanging knowledge. The following iterations explore sharing of resources, socio-cultural exchange and temporary tools and methods that are able to evolve and adapt in different scenarios. The concepts have evolved from research into our individual social behaviours and interactions within the context of the city. They explore the notions of verbal and non-verbal interactions and the grey area in between.

Library of objects The Library of Objects concept evolved from my research into libraries and their transition from book based learning to hands on ‘maker spaces’. Due to their central locations, many libraries have become community hubs and places for skill sharing. This concept explores the idea of using the library as an influence on the public realm. It explores the idea of: what if you could borrow objects from the library to use in outdoor public spaces. I explored the idea of play objects, tools for observation, rest and

relaxation and protection from the weather. This idea was influenced by my research into docklands and my methods of instigating play in the public space. The concept is aimed at building a sense of people being about. Building a space that is not isolated of people, but buzzing with activity. The concept aims to incorporate the current library borrowing system, and develop a community basde service that sourced materials and contruction via Organisations such as The Men’s Ched.

Stories go in Stories come out

A chair that records and shares stories from a diverse city of people

A Story Telling platform The public story telling seat is an interactive permanent piece of street furniture designed to record and playback stories from members of the public. Through my research I discovered an array of stories from people with different backgrounds, which inspired this concept. The design aims to respond to the growing number of individuals moving to the city of Melbourne. Capturing stories from a city full of people from diverse backgrounds, it allows a snap shot view of the inhabitants of the city.

Taking form as an organised workshop or gathering

A ‘Happening’ is an event of intrigue, suprise and delight!

Happening

tools for a Temporary Happening ‘Tools For a Temporary Happening’ explores the notion of passive and active social behaviours. Using objects to temporarily command a space in the public realm. The objects could be free standing and available for everyday public use, but also be able to be hired for public events and happenings within the CBD. The kit of objects is made up of items for resting, sitting and playing. It uses bunting as a visual cue of a ‘happening’ that is taking place. It also explores the idea of how the set of objects would arrive on cargo bike and aims to explore a design specifically for temporary happenings.

Temporary objects for a ‘happening’ (in public spaces)

Collapsible

Transported via bicycle trailer

Portable

Free standing screen for projecting onto

Bunting Located in laneways, slightly hidden

90% of classes use tables & chairs

leave a subtle trace as a ‘we were here’

Let the space provide the character

Laneway Learning constraints & considerations

25 people per class

Portable lighting Potential to be used in historic arcades within the city

Collaboration with existing coffee carts and portable food businesses Sunday Spectacular

1.5 hour class time

Fundraising Event

Collaboration with Laneway Learning Having chosen to go with my concept of temporary objects, I decided to invite a partner into my project to collaborate with. I approached Laneway Learning, a small yet expanding business of affordable informal evening classes that are taught by ordinary people from the local community; “florists teach about flowers, scientists about science

and bookworms about books.” Laneway Learning was exactly what I was trying to achieve; a sharing platform that could exist within the open public spaces of the city. I pitched my idea and together we started to explore the idea with constraints and opportunities. Above is a mapping of themes that featured in our meetings.

IMAGE IMAGE

IMAGE

Laneway qualities In collaboration with laneway learning, we collectively decided to locate the classes and workshops within the laneways of Melbourne. I documented laneways through Melbourne CBD, observing the scale, structural, ephemeral and organic features of each location. I observed each nook and cranny and potential as to how they could be occupied with laneway classes. I observed living creatures and plants, ledges, rubbish, signs and symbols and started to dream up the potential.

prototyping Collaborating with Laneway learning gave me further design variables. Located in the laneway, I started to explore adaptable modular objects that could be flexible to each functional need. As 90% of laneway learning classes rely on having chairs and tables I explored worktop surfaces and seating. I used cardboard mock-ups to develop modular functional objects that could adapt to each laneway and its particular characteristics. I then took to a laneway and explored the concept in a 1:1 scale. I investigated both the functional qualities of the objects and the ephemeral qualities of the laneway. I used bunting to form as a visual cue to a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;happeningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which caused quite a few people to stop and engage in conversation as to what the project was about. Over many conversations and rough sketches the design started to incorporate plywood table surfaces and wooden dowel legs.

CAD design and 3d print Once selecting modular concept, I utilized Solidworks CAD software to design a connector that would allow the table to convert into an easel and be adaptable for different workshop classes. The connector piece was then 3D printed with a mould made from the piece out of Pinkicil silicon. Orange tinted polyurethane resin was then used to cast multiple connector pieces. Each connector was then sanded and buffed by hand, then screwed onto the backs of plywood. The connector is designed for dowel legs to slot into it in different variations.

(Photos of moulding and prototyping)

Prototyping dowel legs The decision to use wooden dowel legs stemmed from trying to simplify the assembly of the design and its material processes. The ends of the legs were rounded off to enhance the stability of the legs when in both upright easel and angled table leg positions. Plasti-dip was then sprayed onto the ends of the legs to enhance the grip and friction against the varying laneway ground surfaces. Spring Ball plungers were inserted into the dowel, for a smooth tight fit when connecting them into the resin connector.

workTops The tabletops were cut from one sheet of plywood. Initially I had planned to make them out of sheet metal, yet decided against it due to the amount of processes needed to bend the metal and ensure its structural integrity. The ply has a friendly warm inviting quality to it that made it the material of choice. The resin moulds were then screwed onto the backside of the plywood, in preparation to host the dowel legs in either an easel or table configuration.

prototyping in context Together with a group of people, I tested out my objects in the context of the laneway. I started by demonstrating to the group, the various configurations of the pieces within the kit. I planned the session to test a variety of classes in line with those that Laneway Learning has previously run. These included classes using clay, wool and drawing. With each activity we adapted the configuration of the props. It was a surprise and delight to see the objects command the space and inhabit the laneway.

Chapter 4: Proposition & Conclusion

Proposal In collaboration with Laneway Learning, The Social Side project proposes to use props for pop-up skill based learning through community driven classes that are located in laneways of the city of Melbourne. The props are part of a kit transported by bicycle that can be set up and packed down in a matter of minutes. They are adaptable to suit the dynamic range of classes offered by Laneway Learning, be that learning how to propagate a plant, drawing in 2 perspective, or dancing hip hop. The kit comprises of wooden dowel legs and plywood worktop surfaces that slot together to become functional workshop structures. Each laneway possesses a different set of structural and ephemeral variables that the kit is designed to transform and evolve with.

The design aims to influence the way in which our cities are formed. It takes a ground up â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tactical Urbanismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; approach by occupying and re-envisioning urban spaces and their uses. It explores the use of the in-between point A- B passageways, transforming them into public learning spaces. The project does not intend to cease here, yet desires to be ever evolving, adapting to the movements and shifts of the city of Melbourne. It aims to recognize our collective skills and knowledge in a city with a growing population. It is a project that prioritizes the unquantifiable social qualities of a liveable city to foster a vibrant, personable and inclusive place to live in.

Conclusion The Social Side aims to foster the human, personable qualities of the city that allow us to effectively share public spaces and build our tolerances toward one another. It aims to do so by injecting props and temporary tools to occupy city laneways to re-envision them as spaces for meaningful skill based exchanges. By creating an ongoing presence that is seemingly short term and temporary, it hopes to influence long-term change to form a city that is ever evolving in its use of public spaces and community led projects. It aims to challenge urban development, so that it retains a human scaled approach that is personable, inclusive. Artists, Designers and practitioners who utilized tools within the fields of public participation, Tactical Urbanism, Place-making and Urban Design have provided strong case studies

that reflect our human need for a socially inclusive and personable public realm. A variety of public experiments, forms of social engagement and physical prototyping, revealed a public desire for personal expression, exchanges and evocative stories. All of which emerged through face-to-face encounters, cultural probes and play. By collaborating with Laneway Learning the project aspires to lead by example and influence other small community oriented businesses to embrace a temporal presence, occupying and re-envisioning public spaces for social use. The Social Side endeavours to foster the social evolution of public spaces allowing Melbourne to proudly bare its title as one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Most Liveable Citiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Bibliography Abramson, D. B. (2007 ). The aesthetics of city-scale preservation policy in Beijing. . Planning Perspectives, 22, 22, 129-166.

Feldtkeller, A. (1994). Die Zweckentfremdete Stadt, Frankfurt-New York, Campus Verlag. Frankfurt-New York, Campus Verlag.

Adams, R. From Industrial Cities to Eco-Urbanity, Retrieved 12/05/14, http://www.futuremelbourne. com.au/wiki/pub/FMPlan/S3Resources/From_Industrial_Cities_to_eco_Urbanity_A_Melbourne_ Case_Study_Rob_adams.pdf

Howard, A. (2009). Astra and the ventilation hypothesis. In Artlink (Ed.): Artlink Magazine

Bishop, C. (2006). Participation: MIT Press.

Howard, A. (2013). Who are you? Mexico, Paris, London.

Brower, S. (1980). Territory in Urban Settings Human Behaviour and Environment: Advances in Theory and Research (Vol. 4). New York: Plenum. Byrne, B. (2014). Yarraville pop-up park set to stay. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/west/ yarraville-popup-park-set-to-stay/story-fngnvmj7-1226834026349 Bernoff, J. (Producer). (2008). Social Technographics. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/jbernoff/social-technographics-explained Capire (Producer). The Engagement Triangle. Retrieved from http://www.capire.com.au/engagementtriangle Dovey, K, 1985, Swanston St, Melbourne Energy Foundation (2011) Sustainability at Scale: Meeting Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Urban Design Challenge. ESRI (Producer). (19/05/2014). GIS Overview. Retrieved from http://www.esri.com/what-is-gis/ overview#can_do_panel Eskerod, T, 2012 Superkilen Park, Copenhagen, Denmark Esri. The Geographic Approach. from http://www. esri.com/what-is-gis/overview#geographic_panel

Howard, A. (2000). Public [Private] Living Spaces 2. Sydney, Australia.

Kelly, J.-F. B. P., Davis. C, Hunter. A, Mares. P, Mullerworth. D, Weidmann. B. (2012). Social Cities: Grattan Institute Melbourne Joonam, B. (Producer). (2013, 20/05/14). Take a Seat, Make a Friend. [Public Installation] Kotkin, J. (2013). The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fastest-Growing Megacities. http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2013/04/08/the-worlds-fastest-growing-megacities/ Kraus, T. (Producer). (2011, 25/05/14). Cameraman. [Artwork] Retrieved from http://www.rmit.edu.au/ art/research/transformationsymposium Lang, J. (1987). Creating Architectural Theory: The Role of the Behavioural Sciences in Environmental Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Locke, J, 2013, Urban bookshelf, New York Lydon, M. (2012 ). Tactical Urbanism Vol. 2. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/streetplanscollaborative/docs/tactical_urbanism_vol_2_final Mailing, J. (Producer). (2014, 02/15/14). Everybody hates audience participation. [Workshop] Retrieved from http://fola.com.au/program/everybody-hatesaudience-participation/

Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper and Row. Mehta, V. (2013). The Street: A Quintessential SocialPublic Space. New York: Routledge.

Suzanne H. Crowhurst Lennard and Henry L. Lennard, C., CA. The Public Realm and the Good City. Gondolier Press (Livable Cities Observed ).

Melbourne for All People 2014-27 Strategy. (2014): City of Melbourne.

The Value of Rankings and the Meaning of Livability. (20/04/14). [Article] Retrieved from http://www. livablecities.org/blog/value-rankings-and-meaninglivability

Mercer. Quality of Living Reports. Retrieved 14/05/14, from http://www.imercer.com/products/2014/quality-of-living.aspx

Urban Population Growth. Retrieved 15/05/14, from http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en/

Milgram, S. (1977). The Individual in a Social World: Essays and Experiments: Addison Wesley.

Walljasper, J. How to revitalize a city. [Adapted from New City Life, 2006, Gehl, Gemzoe, Kirknaes & Sondergaard.]. http://www.pps.org/reference/howtorevitalizeacity/

Monocle. (2009). Top 25 Most Liveable Cities. Retrieved 04/05/14, from http://monocle.com/film/ edits/top-25-most-liveable-cities-2009/ Mumford, L. (1961) The City in History (pp. p.5). New York: Harcourt Brace & Co. Oldenburg, R. (1991). The Great Good Place. Berkley, CA University of California Press. Rapoza, K. (2013). The Best (and worst) Cities on Earth. Retrieved from Forbes website: http://www. forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2013/08/28/the-bestand-worst-cities-on-earth/ Richard, J. (2011, 02/02/14). Designing healthy Communities. [Article] Retrieved from http://www.livablecities.org/blog/designing-healthy-communities Schwartz, H. 3000 Acres. Retrieved 15/04/14, from http://www.3000acres.org/ Steven J. Tepper, W. I. (2007). Engaging Art. New York: Routledge. Soulpancake, 2014, ‘Take a seat & make a friend’ USA

Wang, K. (2013). A tale of Hutong: Exploring the Adaption of Historic Public Space in Beijing’s Rapidly Densifying Urbam Environment, Senior Project: Community Environment and Planning, University of Washington. Warren, F. (Writer). (2012). Half a Million Secrets: TED. Warren, D, 2014, Yoga in Times Square, New York City WHO (08/05/2014). Urban population growth. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_ growth_text/en/ Whyte, W. H. (1980). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Washington D. C: The Conservation Foundation. World’s Most Liveable Cities: 2011 Economis Intelligence Unit Report. (2011). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/worlds-most-liveablecities_n_825964.html#s243559title=1__Vancouver

appendix

Data Visualiazation GIS Geographical Information Systems is part software, part method in which data is collated and geographically mapped. It has been described as a new way of thinking and problem solving that integrates geographic information into how we understand a location and influence the way we design, plan, and change our world (ESRI, The Geographic Approach). It is also a method used to map the change in an area to anticipate future conditions, decide on a course of action, or to evaluate the results of an action or policy. Australian businesses; state, local and Federal government departments, not-for-profit and community organisations are among those who use ‘Esri Australia’ a company specialized in GIS. Their tools revolve around a series of steps of Ask, Acquire, Examine, Analyse and Act with data that is visually expressed in maps and infographics (ESRI GIS Overview).

Infographics have become more than just an ‘airy fairy creative process’ but a linear process for decision making which follows three main principles 1-What you want to communicate 2acknowledging the reader will come with their own assumptions and 3: Expressing the data itself with the advantage that you can communicate a lot of information very quickly (Steele 2009 The Art of Data Visualization). It can also have emotional impact as we react to information. Presenting information in a visual format is the fastest way to get someone to engage with the content and the most successful infographic tells a clear narrative that is accessible and translates complicated data that otherwise would take hours of research (Hyperakt, J. S 2009 The Art of Data Visualization) Playfully put: it entertains, informs and performs.

Social Media Social media has become a tool not only to share information with friends and acquaintances, but also with strangers. Media such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook allow people to collect, share and provoke discussions and are now widely used as a tool for businesses to promote themselves and their events. As it has become a commonly used tool that has infiltrated itself into the lives of members of the general public, I would like to investigate its use and value through my design process.