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.