Addressing  Informality  through  Urban  Design  Pedagogy    

Anastasia  Loukaitou-­‐Sideris  ACSP  2014  

 

New York San Francisco

Los Angeles Vancouver

Washington DC Portland

Denver Hollywood

Informality: Appropriation of public and private land for a range of purposes and activities that defy land use norms, zoning requirements, and the law.

Premises  

1. There is a spatial aspect of informality that can be responded to through urban design;

2. Urban design pedagogy should prepare future urban designers to understand and positively intervene in informal urban landscapes; and

3. Appropriately structured studios can help the next generation of urban designers learn how to respond to informality through design

Urban  design  studios    

“The validity of abstract studio based methods, derived primarily from the French Beaux Arts Academies and British practice and pupilage, has long been challenged as contributing to an image-conscious ‘silo’ mentality by focusing too much on individual ideas or technical ability over spatial experience, and promoting a fascination with uniqueness over developing the skills to ‘learn’ from everyday life”

Saul Golden (2012) “The Pedagogy of Place: Engaging with Urban Design Lessons Beyond the Studio,”

Applying  a  spaBal  lens  on  informality  

“The  concept  of  the  informal  sector  is  not  only  a  ma2er  of  func4on  but  also  of  form”    

Ogbu  (2012)  “Reframing  Prac5ce:  Iden5fying  a  framework  for  Social  Impact  Design,” Journal  of  Urban  Design    

Scope,    Context  Process    Prac5ce  

Scope  

Expansion  of  the  field’s  scope  to  encompass  the  ordinary  and  residual  spaces  of  everyday  life  of  diverse  and  underprivileged  neighborhoods  

                         Context  Considering  and  understanding  the  par5cular  socio-­‐spa5al  and  cultural  specifici5es,  power  dynamics,  and  economics  of  different  informal  ac5vi5es,  and  their  actors,  in  different  city  contexts  before  deciding  on  a  design  ac5on  or  strategy.    SeMng  studios  on  real  sites  and  encouraging  students  to  spend  5me  exploring  and  interac5ng  with  their  physical  and  social  contexts.    

Process  

Including  informal  actors  in  the  design  process  requires  rethinking  of  par5cipatory  prac5ces    Neighborhood  events,  walking  tours,  meals  and  informal  convenings  and  conversa5ons  overcome  the  limita5ons  of  formal  par5cipatory  processes  as  they  allow  community  actors  to  overcome  formal  barriers  and  socio-­‐and  cultural  differences.  

 PracBce Need  for  nego5a5on,  accommoda5on,  and  crea5vity  from  the  part  of  designers  who  should  find  a  middle  ground  to  blur  or  soPen  the  boundaries  between  formal  and  informal  urbanism,  and  crea5vely  envision  new  spa5al  forms,  or  adapt  exis5ng  ones,  to  accommodate  informal  ac5vi5es  

Dealing  with  street  vending  in  an  urban  design  studio    

Studio  Purpose:    Offer  design  improvements  to  beQer  accommodate  and  integrate  the    informal  sidewalk  vending  ac5vi5es  taking  place  in  the  neighborhood’s  streets  and  public  spaces  

Studio  Scope    

Revisi4ng  the  spaces  of  everyday  life  

 Sidewalks  Crosswalks  Bus  stops  

Intersec5ons    Traffic  triangles  

Understanding    the  Studio  Context  

Experien5al  learning  through:    Neighborhood  visits,    Community  walks    Field  observa5ons    Photographic  documenta5on    Interviews  

 “Thick  mapping”  of  physical,  social,  and    historic  context  ‘  Ac5vity  nodes  

 Traffic    Trees    Bus  stops    Urban  furniture,      Empty  lots    Ameni5es  and  disameni5es  

Process:    Engaging  mul5ple  community  groups  as  experts  and  studio  “juries”              -­‐town  hall  mee5ngs              -­‐merchant  surveys              -­‐street  vendor  surveys  

PracBce  Reclaiming  small  urban  spaces    for  formal  and  informal  ac4vi4es  

Conclusion  Urban informality is both defined by the built environment and helps define it, and should be an active focus for urban design pedagogy. Studios offer the opportunity to train urban designers to respond to informality. They should: 1.  Have a wider scope and broader

context that includes the various spaces of informality

2.  Create opportunities for students to engage with nontraditional stakeholders and informality actors.

3.  Explore creative problem-solving in small urban spaces through design proposals based on negotiation, accommodation, hybridity, and unconventional configurations.