Wednesday
Oct262011
Design for the Other 90%: Cities
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 4:00PM | Jeremy Welsh
Four years ago, I attended the "Design for the Other 90%" exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum here in New York. The exhibit, which opened at the Design Museum and then traveled around the world, addressed the ninety percent of the world's overall population that did not have access to clean food, clean water, or shelter. The exhibit focused on how design, primarily industrial design (of the 10%), could help the rest of the population. The simplicity of the many of the designs, coupled with the impact they would have on people's lives, was quite inspiring.
Opening last week at the United Nations, "Design for the Other 90%: Cities" focuses on the issues that involve urbanization of the globe. The themes of the exhibit are: Exchange, Reveal, Adapt, Include, Prosper and Access. As the website (http://designother90.org/cities) states:
This exhibit appears to have parallels to the successful Small Scale, Big Change exhibit at MoMa last year, in which examples of the impact of "small" initiatives -- in scape, in budget -- across the Globe had a profound impact on their users and observers.
It is our responsibility as architects and designers to not only meet (and exceed) the wants of our clients, but to realize that what we design and construct will be experienced by All. Our buildings, blocks, and boulevards will effect the lives of others on a daily basis. And while "we" primarily design for the 10%, our vision should as broad as possible.
You can read an excerpt from the show's catalog here:
http://designother90.org/downloads/CITIES-Book-1.pdf
Opening last week at the United Nations, "Design for the Other 90%: Cities" focuses on the issues that involve urbanization of the globe. The themes of the exhibit are: Exchange, Reveal, Adapt, Include, Prosper and Access. As the website (http://designother90.org/cities) states:
For the first time in history, the majority of the earth’s approximately seven billion inhabitants live in cities. Close to one billion people live in informal settlements, commonly known as slums or squatter settlements, and that number is projected to swell to two billion by 2030, pushing beyond the capacity of many local institutions to cope . . . Design with the Other 90%: CITIES features sixty projects, proposals, and solutions that address the complex issues arising from the unprecedented rise of informal settlements in emerging and developing economies.
This exhibit appears to have parallels to the successful Small Scale, Big Change exhibit at MoMa last year, in which examples of the impact of "small" initiatives -- in scape, in budget -- across the Globe had a profound impact on their users and observers.
It is our responsibility as architects and designers to not only meet (and exceed) the wants of our clients, but to realize that what we design and construct will be experienced by All. Our buildings, blocks, and boulevards will effect the lives of others on a daily basis. And while "we" primarily design for the 10%, our vision should as broad as possible.
You can read an excerpt from the show's catalog here:
http://designother90.org/downloads/CITIES-Book-1.pdf
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