In order to gather enough information and research various methods or techniques will require to be used to establish evidence of the process and development of the MDes Research Project.
WORKSHOP ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRES FOCUS GROUPS
INTERVIEWS with STAKEHOLDERS BLOGGING ON LINE
DRAWINGS and DIAGRAMS MAPPING OUT CRITERIA
CREATE KNOWLEDGE SWATCHES CREATE 3D MODELS / DISPLAYS
http://gehlarchitects.wordpress.com/books/life-between-buildings-1971/
this link will show the information on a book by Jan Gehl, the founder of Gehl Architects. First published in 1971, LIFE BETWEEN BUILDINGS Using Public Space, the 6th edition ( 2010), is now part of my reading list for the MDes Research Project.
I have reviewed the current thinking regarding the design project related to Mindful Design Practice. It is a quick review of my design thinking about why and how I am hoping to develop my Mdes Research project – TRANSITIONAL SPACES.
My focus was intially on KIRKCALDY TOWN CENTRE but it may be more useful to develop ideas for High street spaces in general terms and use KIRKCALDY as a potential case study, along with other relevant research sources.
Transitional Spaces and Portals
Transitional Spaces and Portals is a design-led investigation into how we use and engage with urban spaces in town centres. The spatial awareness that we experience as we transmit through and inside buildings and related spaces between, affects our human behaviour within the physicality of our urban environments. References into Environmental Psychology, Human Factor Behavioural Science, and current thinking on Urban Design would be adopted.
Kirkcaldy Town Centre, will be the focus of my investigations.
New Business Retail Parks are on the periphery of the town, creating an adverse effect on retailing trade in the High Street. The Design Research Project has the opportunity to develop ideas to recapture key urban spaces to improve the high street ambience, so that the town centre does not need to be just about shops.
Stakeholders are from a wide range of organisations including, Planning, Kirkcaldy 4 All , Town Management , Fife Council, Civic Society, Green Initiatives , Developers, Designers and the general public users.
Design methods and techniques to investigate and record the high street environments would aim to develop a proposal that could act as a link mechanism strategy for one or more stakeholders, to develop a new useable urbanism for all.
CHANGE IS CONSTANT CHANGE IS GOOD CHANGE IS REFRESHING CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
CHANGE CAN IMPROVE CHANGE IS UNCERTAIN CHANGE MEANS RECONSIDERATION
CHANGE MEANS THAT EVERYTHING CAN BE UPDATED TO ENABLE IMPROVING QUALITY
I have planned an initial, informal design thinking workshop on Tuesday 13 July at 1200hrs in room BS54 in ADAM SMITH COLLEGE at ST BRYCEDALE AVENUE which intends to involve some 5-6 individual participants who will act as potential stakeholders for the design research project activity.
Ideally, I had hoped to have participants from Fife Council and Kirkcaldy Civic Society as well as Greener Kirkcaldy.
As it is an initial opinion gathering and discussion forum workshop, the participants will be involved in looking at some mapping of Kirkcaldy using Google Earth prints as well as the two ‘Lang drawings of the High street facades. These artefacts represent an linear drawing approach to try to understand hoe the high street appears at present and will enable participants to see the high street environment in a new perceptive format.
METHODS
I will use the drawings and the maps to act as a discussion catalyst around the following question:
‘DO HIGH STREETS HAVE TO BE JUST ABOUT SHOPS ?’
The aim of the workshop is to let the participant stakeholders to work as a whole during the introduction, but then to split participants into 2-3 small groups to ask the following questions :
list 5 good things ( + ) about living and working in Kirkcaldy
list 5 bad things ( – ) which detract from living and working in Kirkcaldy
By using a combination of post-it and postcards, on a range of specific questions or considerations, participants can place their comments onto the maps and or the LANG DRAWINGS.
Overall the target is to produce around 50 positive ( + )comments and 50 negative or improvements required ( – ) comments, which will enable the MDES student ( me ) to carry out some analysis of the findings, which can be edited and developed into my own design thinking for the Research element of the project.
I hope to record the feedback using video clips and / or photographs to include in this blog etc.
The room will be laid out with the mapping image on the table to enable participants to see, perhaps for the first time, the physical satellite view of the town.
WATCH THIS SPACE
I O N S P A C E 