Design with Others¶
Contents¶
Soil¶
On the first day of this seminar, we were introduced to the general concept of soil and land. Additionally, we began to theorize about designing in complex and entangled contexts. Designing for a community, even a small one, has ripple effects on a larger scale and has a long-term impact. “Every challenge assessed with sufficient perspective, becomes a wicked one.” During the initial seminar day, we explored the Sants neighborhood, identifying aspects that could pose conflicts regarding the soil.
As we strolled through the streets, it became apparent that soil, encompassing land and ecologies beyond human communities, was scarce in the Sants neighborhood. Essentially, everything we encountered and observed was tailored for humans. This led us to reflect on the fact that, if you were something other than human, like an insect for example, the terrain resembled a desert and posed significant challenges. We pondered on the diverse textures of the soil, noting that it was poorly maintained with litter strewn about.
This prompted us to contemplate why the soil was neglected, why there was so much trash, and why the local society seemed content with maintaining this state. We delved into the repercussions on non-human species and explored ways to transform this neighborhood into a hub of biodiversity, not just for humans.
Land¶
Our visit to La Borda on the second day left a lasting impact. As the first cooperative housing in Spain built on land granted for use, it was a revelation, especially for someone like me who is from Barcelona and was previously unaware of La Borda. This experience led me to contemplate the nuances of designing for communities and the imperative of sustaining projects. It goes beyond merely contributing to a community; it involves understanding how to perpetuate the underlying philosophy and design principles over time. The visit also shed light on the integral role of politics in design and the often-overlooked possibilities within our reach.
Additionally, we delved back into the socio-ethnic aspects discussed on the first day of class, with a focus on the “land” component—everything from homes to creative spaces. This aspect offered me a fresh perspective on designing for others, even within our own human context. More than a technical learning experience for the master’s program, it allowed me to explore different facets of Barcelona. It made me realize that, despite being a resident of this city, there is still much to learn, especially from these marvelous projects. They are already catalyzing positive societal changes, changes that deserve more attention and discussion.
Visits¶
From the recent visits, two main things have stuck with me. Firstly, we’ve been given a lot of resources over these weeks to continue designing beyond IAAC. It’s been really helpful to have access to places like the Ateneu de Fabricació and manufacturing spaces, providing alternative resources if I want to keep using this machinery after the master’s program ends. Secondly, there’s the consideration of life after the master’s. While the master’s program is great for reflection and bringing about change from a unique designer’s perspective, there’s the lingering question of how these ideas apply in the professional world. How do we bring about change, earn a living, have a life, and still maintain these perspectives? Getting to know my master’s community and potential future connections has given me a clearer vision of what might come after the master’s. These are additional tools that can also be used in connection with this week’s seminar on designing for others, entering designer communities, and bringing about change.
Intervention: Urban Regreening and Pollinator Corridors¶
Mapping the conflict and planning ahead¶
After exploring the land and soil, as well as identifying conflicts in our community, we discussed in class the topics that interested us the most and generated conflict while walking around Sants.In our group, we agreed that the Sants neighborhood lacked interconnected green spaces to promote biodiversity of pollinating species. Although Barcelona has a lot of green areas, they are not connected, creating “deserts” for animals like bees as they move from one green space to another.
We decided to focus on promoting biodiversity on a specific street in Poblenou, creating a green corridor where pollinating species could live within the city. We chose the Poble Nou area due to its proximity to IAAC, which would facilitate contact and exploration of spaces after classes. We selected a street that connected two known spaces: BAM and NestCityLab. BAM (Associaió Bioarquitectura Meditarrànea) is a community garden that we have already visited and that promotes bee life. NestCityLab is a green building with an internal garden, although its green space is closed to the outside. We wanted to communicate with them to open the space and promote the biodiversity corridor in Poble Nou.
By choosing these spaces, we were interested in finding solutions to contribute to these communities actively interested in the subject. Initially, we thought about providing a product, such as a vertical farm, but we realized that this product designer perspective would lead us to offer a solution and then disappear from the community.
So, we developed a plan over several months considering the limited duration of our presence at IAAC. We wanted to build a community interested in the project. We started with a discovery and information stage, conducting an advertising campaign to inform people on the street about our initiative. Then, we planned three activities in BAM, NestCityLab, and IAAC to attract people from that street and discuss possible solutions. Finally, we planned five interventions/workshops to address the problem in question, seeking active and continuous community participation.
Here is our plan:
The Intervention¶
After formulating the plan, we organized ourselves to kickstart our initiative and attempted to reach out to NesCityLab, BAM, and also the architects responsible for the NesCityLab building. Additionally, we contacted individuals interested in this theme who have developed products like vertical gardens to enhance biodiversity. Our initial step involved creating posters for the first phase of our plan — the promotional campaign. Essentially, we aimed to make people on the street contemplate the possibility of our species facing extinction without their support.
Subsequently, we commenced the first phase of community interaction activities, exemplified by the interaction with BAM. Here, we portrayed ourselves as bees on that street. This representation prompted profound reflection, as we walked the street twice—first as humans and then as bees. During our human walk, we observed a lack of greenery, despite attempts to introduce gardens or trees. However, the absence of flowers didn’t strike us much at the time, and we continued walking. Yet, when we assumed the role of bees (considering this exercise took place in winter with fewer plants), we realized that despite our movement from one place to another, these nature deserts persisted. This made it challenging for bees, butterflies, birds, and other animals to navigate from one location to another.
This marks the culmination of our project up to this phase of the activity. We executed our first intervention, and the objective is that the subsequent intervention would involve collaborating with NEST to discuss the creation and maintenance of ecosystems. Find more of our research (Historical Urban Development of Barcelona, Conflict Mapping and more) on our Miro Board:
Reflection¶
This seminar has helped me understand how to design for and with a community. It allowed me to perceive the city from a different perspective, viewing its issues and conflicts that we often overlook in our daily lives through different eyes. I also realized that creating solutions for a community involves engaging with and learning from that community. Contrary to the common approach where designers provide a solution, typically a product, to a community and then disengage, I’ve come to understand that this isn’t necessarily the only way to solve a problem. Designing for a community means becoming an integral part of it, actively contributing to constant change, and not abandoning the community once the design phase is completed.
Moreover, this seminar has given me a new perspective on my city. While Barcelona has always seemed well-managed for humans, I now recognize, for the first time, that the city is exclusively designed for humans, lacking pathways for biodiversity and not fostering significant change. It also prompted reflection on the fact that solutions are often generated on a small scale, and this change can lead to conflicts in other spaces. Whenever crafting a solution or engaging in a project, it’s crucial to map out your intentions, understand the communities involved, and assess the potential long and short-term impacts of the solution you’re seeking.
In conclusion, this seminar has been instrumental in helping me see things from a different viewpoint, grasp the overall picture of a problem, and understand its effects on others beyond the community I’m trying to interact with. It encourages going beyond and viewing things with different eyes, a different vision, and most importantly, actively participating with communities—not for the community but alongside them.