The Dream
Beginning in Foundation Park we mindfully took note of our surroundings to find what we wanted to explore individually and collectively.
While mapping we made conclusions and developed questions based on demographics, traffic flow of people and vehicles, vacant buildings and lots that serve as opportunities.
We had been finding ways to interact with people to find out their fears and hopes for the area to build off of for making place.
We did this by having discussions at engagements such as students at Lake Valley, professionals and students at Walk the Talk & Harley, community members and workers at Foundation Park, Bethune Garden, and Hmong American Friendship association as well as creative survey props when appropriate.
The reason why we did this was to confirm or remove assertions from conversations and it was reinforced that it’s important to the community to connect more and gain a greater understanding of identity to find opportunities to bring more life and safety to public spaces.
People said that they interacted with neighbors and have helped each other by doing things like cutting each other’s lawns, but there needed to be more interaction. They have shared their fears regarding closing homes & businesses, vacant buildings and land, and how they need more jobs and small local stores. Urban gardens were also mentioned a lot because it was a way for citizens to directly make their community more cared for and created a sense of peace, however there was no tax base.
From this process we moved on to individual explorations that tied together to better explore how and if the community would use and maintain a space created for them. We wanted to create an opportunity for people to have different experiences to react to. From here we tested how our prototypes will grow in the next 10 and 20 years.
While mapping we made conclusions and developed questions based on demographics, traffic flow of people and vehicles, vacant buildings and lots that serve as opportunities.
We had been finding ways to interact with people to find out their fears and hopes for the area to build off of for making place.
We did this by having discussions at engagements such as students at Lake Valley, professionals and students at Walk the Talk & Harley, community members and workers at Foundation Park, Bethune Garden, and Hmong American Friendship association as well as creative survey props when appropriate.
The reason why we did this was to confirm or remove assertions from conversations and it was reinforced that it’s important to the community to connect more and gain a greater understanding of identity to find opportunities to bring more life and safety to public spaces.
People said that they interacted with neighbors and have helped each other by doing things like cutting each other’s lawns, but there needed to be more interaction. They have shared their fears regarding closing homes & businesses, vacant buildings and land, and how they need more jobs and small local stores. Urban gardens were also mentioned a lot because it was a way for citizens to directly make their community more cared for and created a sense of peace, however there was no tax base.
From this process we moved on to individual explorations that tied together to better explore how and if the community would use and maintain a space created for them. We wanted to create an opportunity for people to have different experiences to react to. From here we tested how our prototypes will grow in the next 10 and 20 years.
A special thanks
Pat Mueller, Joseph Kaltenberg and Phylis