MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE

TRANSITIONAL SPACES – CO-DESIGN HUB WORKSHOPS

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need to find a name to launch the BIG IDEA for establishing co-design hub workshops to enable participatory interaction to happen between stakeholder groups.

KIRKCALDY is on the map !

Political victors in national elections proclaimed ………..

“KIRKCALDY IS MY KINDA TOWN” -A.Salmond – Friday 6 may 2011

Inspiration comes from other developments that have been created in recent times:

CLAYSTATION       PLAYING WITH THE CITY       LIMINAL SPACES       

FUTURE CITY         I lOVE KIRKCALDY              BIG THINGS ON THE BEACH

how about………….

MY KINDA TOWN   or  ?

transitional spaces – other links to projects in urban developments

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URBAN ALCHEMIST

This is an interesting presentation of the methods and tools developed for SHEFFIELD.

The presentation methods are well designed and use a mix of drawing and photographic techniques to present their ideas and findings. It shows in a graphic visual way how the project developed and how the information data was gathered. I like this work.

http://www.urbanalchemist.wordpress.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kZNZXYPQkg&feature=player_embedded

TUTORIAL FEEDBACK on TUESDAY 3 MAY 2011

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Tutorial meetings with course advisers is always of great benefit to my design thinking. Presenting a clear definitive proposal for the MDes project is vital for successfully completing the MINDFUL DESIGN PRACTICE MODULE.  Today was a refocus of my design activity for the research project and enables me to move on to develop a assessed presentation.

THE PROJECT HAS TO BE PRESENTED TO MEET THE FOLLOWING ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

RATIONALE AND CONTENT  : how the project fits in the world and who will benefit ?

METHODS                                   : which design methods have been selected or created ?

PRODUCTION                             : what prototypes have been produced  +  level of detail ?

PROJECT MANAGEMENT       : how timeline of activity is mapped  to  meet endpoint?

A 15 minute POWERPOINT PRESENTATION is being developed to deliver to the assessment deadline for Tuesday 17 May 2011.

KIRKCALDY CASE STUDY SKETCH THUMBNAILS

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ideas for Mdes research subject for study
Ideas generated through quick thumbnail sketches

QUICK Bic pens draft sketches as thoughts on paper, to show initial ideas for a potential range of options for the Mdes Research Project. It could be that a combination of elements could work together, or it may be preferable to select just ONE IDEA and run with it!

Initially, I wanted to have a braod overview of how the town of Kirkcaldy operated and the wayfinding survey and exercises were my start point for discovering the town form an new way of thinking. Currently I am looking at the town centre environs with the declining High Street being a particular focus for my research to establish how and  what is require to re-create and enliven the High Street after the retail areas close down. 

signage elementys for waYFINDING
COLOUR RENDERED SKETCH OVERLAY

TOWN WORKSHOP EVENTS

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Each town has many facets and physical attributes, including unique geographic location.

Each town has its own identity but sometimes new developments and planning issues may affect the way it is able to portray its urbanism to its population and to its visitors and traders. 

Politicians and local councillors, business improvement districts, local area action groups, web-based social groups, developers and regeneration projects, planning departments, civic societies, community groups, historical societies, businesses and traders, property agents, as well as the population in each town,  all have different viewpoints and specific issues and campaign needs.

However,  it seems that there is nothing  or no forum that pulls them together to combine strategic thinking other than  information and promotion of the separate agendas published in the local newspaper or journal based on editorial priorities.

TOWN WORKSHOP EVENTS ( working title) is a proposition to all interested organisations and individuals to gather together in specially arranged activity workshops and discussion forums, to build common good thinking and practice into a cohesive form, that will enable greater co-operation in the development of future thinking for each town.

a workshop event diagram for Kirkcaldy Town
TOWN WORKSHOP EVENT IDEA

SPONTANEOUS CITY by URHAHN

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http://www.urhahn.nl/index.php?385

 
THE SPONTANEOUS CITY  
 
The era of large-scale urban planning is over. With the book ‘The Spontaneous City’ Urhahn Urban Design heralds another practice. Small-scale ‘make-ability’ combined with Dutch entrepreneurial skill: that is the basic principle. That is why the authors of this book argue in favour of local resourcefulness, flexibility, and openness – in short, they argue for the Spontaneous City. The Spontaneous City is never finished; the Spontaneous City is about the user; the Spontaneous City is the result of supply and demand. With this book we aim to provoke discussion about the aims of urban planning in the twenty-first century. 

The book can be ordered now from the website of Bis Publishers, in a Dutch edition as well as in an English edition. It is available in bookshops as of mid-December. 

Join the discussion @spontanestad
 
 
 
 
 
 

       

 

YOUARETHE CITY

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http://www.youarethecity.com/

This blog website is well set out and the essence of its ethos and activities is quite relevant to my research thinking for an idea to develop a source hub for towns.

The ‘SOURCE HUB’ or ‘URBAN PORTAL’ would be developed as an interactive  reference point to enable a wide range of participants and diferent organisations including specific stakeholders to have an up to date information resource  that everyone can feed into and gain insights into  the wide variety of issues and projects that affect the town.

This could develop stronger links between groups and allow more understanding of how co-operative thinking can produce a more integrated development within the urban spaces  and activity events that occur within towns.

Stakeholders may range from :

TOWN CENTRE MANAGEMENT, RETAILERS, PLANNERS, PROPERTY DEVELOPERS, GREEN -ECO GROUPS,  RESIDENTS, BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREAS, CIVIC SOCIETIES, MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE,  LOCAL AUTHORITY COUNCILLORS, TOURIST BOARDS, HOTELS , CHARITY ORGANISATIONS, THEATRE TRUSTS, SPORTING GROUPS, EVENT ORGANISERS, COMMUNITY GROUPS from SUBURBS, ARTISTIC abnd CREATIVE GROUPS, DESIGN and ARCHITECTURE FIRMS etc..

IDEALLY the ‘URBAN HUB’ would be the main source point for historical, current and future information for all stakeholder participants in any town.

The form that this ‘HUB ‘ would take could be developed in a variety of ways but initiallly a website blog wiyth interactive links could be the initial form taht it takes to be able to ‘SELL’ the concept idea  to the stakeholders.

Each town would develop an identity brand that would be unique to the physical environment that each urban space  has.