Co-designing Dervallières Urban Space
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URBAN DESIGN - 2016
Master's project developed at L'École de Design Nantes Atlantique, working with the neighborhood of Dervallières in Nantes, France. A co-design project with the inhabitants of the neighborhood, to encourage a more livable public space, designing playful urban furniture for every-changing uses suited to the inhabitants' needs.
Questioning: How to encourage a more livable neighborhood with an active public space and involve the habitants in the creation of the process?
CONTEXT
The neighborhood was built after World War II, as a response to the massive migration post-war, social housings were constructed to provide a place to live. As a result, the design of the public space of the area had a lack of importance during the development of the neighborhood
MAPPING TOOL
MAPPING TOOL conducted at "Maison de Quartier" with the habitats of the Dervallières' neighborhood, based on the "12 quality criteria" by Gelh institute and "Mental maps" by Kevin Lynch.
The results showed an important role played by the park, which is a key point that connects some of the most frequent public spaces as the elementary school, La place des Dervallieres and Maison de Quartier. The Park is a place the community love but somehow they feel uncomfortable and boring being there.
PROPOSAL
1. CO-CONCEPTION
This co-conception tool, in a small-scale version, allows the habitants to understand and to play with the possible arrangements of their public space: in a circular, linear, vertical and horizontal way.
2. CO-CONSTRUCTION
The neighbors can co-construct their urban furniture at workshops with local organizations as La Fabrique and Maison de Quartier, who are 2 actors involved in the development of the community.
The basic shapes focused on dimensions (all the shapes are proportional), in order to be easy to co-construct with people. The materials proposed are light steel for the frame and wood, not all faces are covered, with the intention to be easy to handle and move around a specific area.
3. INTERACTION
The neighbors can play with the urban furniture to explore the multiple usages of the space, according to their needs or desires
