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Simple solutions for complex issues Challenges for future designers
The complex world
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This article has been written during the outbreak of the Corona Virus - a disease that was defined as a pandemic by the WHO in early March 2020. The virus hit China hard at the end of 2019. After three months, while China is getting its domestic situation under control and after implementing strict containment, Europe is expected to become the next epicentre of this pandemic. However, it seems that the example of China did not warn Europe enough. Multiple countries failed to take and swiftly implement early measures, which has resulted in the steep curves of growing patients. Until this very moment (March 20th, 2020), the same mistake is being made repeatedly on the world stage. In this particular case, taking measures involves all kinds of aspects, and requires going through multiple layers of social and political systems; systems that were initially invented to improve our society. It is a living example, highlighting just how trapped people are by this complicated system(1) that they invented themselves while trying to make a rational decision.
(1) A system is a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. Systems modeling is generally a basic principle in engineering and social sciences. In this article, depending on the context, the word system can refer to a general concept and might also refer to one specific system, such as social system, cultural system, economic system, or software/hardware system in the computer science field.
Similarly, this can generally be predicted to happen in the future as well. Our system is getting so complicated that we can hardly see through it. It is getting more difficult for us to make a proactive decision. Thus, we are mostly - just like in the situation of Coronavirus - reacting, rather than getting ahead of the “curve.”
The author of the renowned book <The black swan>, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, described the paradox of ‘complex systems’ in his book <Antifragile>;
(2) Black swan is a metaphor that describes rare and unpredictable outlier events, and the human tendency is to find simplistic explanations for these events retrospectively.
(Taleb, N.N. 2012. Antifragile: things that gain from disorder. Random House & Penguin Books)
Taleb also indicates that a complex system(3) , contrary to what people believe, does not require complicated systems (3) and regulations and intricate policies. The simpler, the better. Just like in the design world, we have the minimalist motto: “Less is more”.
(3) Complex systems are highly composite ones, built up from very large numbers of mutually interacting subunits (that are often composites themselves) whose repeated interactions result in rich, collective behavior that feeds back into the behavior of the individual parts. Complicated systems can have very many parts too, but they play specific functional roles and are guided by very simple rules. (J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007 Nov; 61(11): 933–937. doi: 10.1136/jech.2006.054254).
Aiming for Simplicity
Simplicity is not easy to achieve. As designers, we are challenged to work extra hard not to be fooled by the overcomplicated human-made system, but to achieve natural and straightforward solutions. The complication lies within enormous datasets that could confuse, as well as empower us. The data sets being the unpredictable future scenarios and the chain reactions of human interventions. In the built environments, on different scales, a more comprehensive range of expertise is being involved. Aside from traditional fields like urbanism, architecture, and engineering, fields like data analysis, Aiming for simplicity economics, social science, biology, and more unexpected specializations are being involved in implausible ways. I am very inspired by the work done by ‘The Mediated Matter group’ under the MIT media lab. Facing the scarcity of materials, they seek new ways of material production under a microscope, with the help of computer science. Their unconventional team consists of designers, engineers, material scientists, and biologists. They managed to empower each other on common ground, and their beautiful projects are rewards of it. Their very first well-known project, ‘The Silk Pavilion’, exhibited their philosophy very well. The silk pavilion is a well-thought collaboration between humans and silkworms. 6,500 silkworms were deployed on human-made spun flat surfaces. Guided by their instinctive preference for darker areas of the pavilion’s surface, they were able to weave a scaled-up version of the cocoon from single strands of silk, which can act like a human shelter.
The Silk Pavilion
This project displays a material practice that revolvesaround computer science, engineering, biology, design,revealing a new way of designing in the Anthropocene.The process is complex, and the preparation work isenormous. Thanks to the progression of technology, it ispossible to understand the natural behavior of silkwormsand manipulate them for construction-purposes. Incontrast, the resulting construction looks rather simple.However, the simplicity comes only after going through aseries of complex processes with a joint force of multidisciplinarytalents.
In this project, you could wonder, “who is the designer?”.The structure of the silk pavilion is prepared and realizedthrough computational design methods, and moreimportantly, based on a design that follows instinctivemovement patterns of silkworms. The role of the designeris slightly blurred here. There is no one dominant actorwho can decide and construct everything, while we do seea mediator who tries to bridge these knowledge fields.
The designer (the mediator) of the built environment.
If you think that this project is a bit far-fetched, consider who is in charge of shaping our living environments. Cities are complex systems, and they are only getting more complex as they develop with new emerging technologies. Are we able to find our way through complex urban systems and reach the end of the tunnel with a simple solution? What is the light that could guide us through it?
Before, when we used to talk about urban design, we talked about buildings, in-between space of buildings, infrastructure, and blue & green networks. Nowadays, we also talk about IoT, big data, 5G technology, energy transition, the privacy of citizens, and so on. There is a buzzword that is used to describe all these topics, namely: smart cities.
There is no clear definition of a ‘smart city’. The word ‘smart’ often misleads people into thinking that the term mainly considers technological properties. Consequently, designers are left out in the wave of this urban and technological revolution. If you visit a smart city expo, you will find yourself standing among hundreds of company stands, selling their newest products, ranging from software applications to autonomous vehicles. Ironically, you typically do not find urban designers and architects being part of it, as if a city will evolve into a smart one once it is equipped with the most cutting-edge products. After all, people tend to forget that cities are built for people, and that technology is invented to serve people. This situation seems somewhat familiar. In the early 20th century, cars were massively produced, thus were sold at lower prices. Ever since then, they have become affordable domestic means of transport.
The cities were designed for cars rather than people,even though cars were initially invented to servepeople. As a result, the space that was taken awayby cars cannot easily be returned to the people.Additionally, congested traffic and air pollutioncaused by cars have become ubiquitous urbanissues to tackle.
Admittedly, the technology and inventions out there are fascinating, while also necessary in dealing with our global problems. Without an overall strategy, they are less likely to work in the same direction, and hence are less likely to shape a united city. The responsibility of a designer in this technological wave of changes is to bridge gaps between various knowledge groups and act as a mediator. Mediators might not sound so creative, but it is the hidden role of the designer. In my opinion, the essence of a “smart city” is no more than connectivity. The issue is that the scope of urban design expands so rapidly; it is a significant challenge for the designers to keep broadening their knowledge at the same pace. Overcoming this challenge would not only prevent the designers from getting lost in all the innovative gadgets but rather encourage the designers to use these tools to serve people.
Smart City Expo.
Source: Business Wire
For Instance, big data is alluring, but without knowing the objective and outcome from the use of big data, it makes it a time-consuming tool. Machine learning sounds magical, but without keeping people’s needs in the center, designers generate products without paying attention to social values. Not to mention all of the underlying ethical conflicts that stand between digital technology and human beings require to be dealt sensibly as well. Urban designers might not be the ones who can program the best, or invent the newest product, but we can understand the importance of putting people first from the past. After the 2nd industrial revolution, urban designers were overwhelmed with the new technology and removed people’s life in cities for that technology. Moreover, we are still dealing with the aftermath of trying all possible interventions to return our cities back to people. It is a big lesson to learn from. Now, we are standing at a new intersection once again. This time, we need to make sure that we make the right choice.
About Author
Di Fang
BEng– Architecture and Urban Planning ; MSc – Urbanism
Di Fang graduated from TU Delft with a Master’s degree inUrbanism, in 2015. She has worked as an architect and urbandesigner in both small and large design offices in the Netherlandssince then. Her passion for design lies within the unlimitedpossibility of cross-disciplinary collaboration. She joined ABTin 2019,where she is part of an urban engineering group underOosterhoff Group innovation center.
