Design For Thought

In the first chapter of this paper, three areas of research were mentioned to frame the approach. The reasons for choosing these specific theories however, were not. Since this paper analyses the role of urban furniture and what that role can be (apart from the practical application examined in the previous chapter), the following section attempts to address the theory behind the three areas of research and combine those two successfully towards a coherent outcome.

There are innumerable theories and guidelines that have played a leading role for the development in urban and industrial design as well as visual communication, respectively. It is impossible to attempt to cover the entire range of all three in such a modest paper, not to mention that the focus of this paper narrows the research field. The theories selected in this chapter aim to explain how, from the broader initial theory to the more specific critical one (in all three fields), there are always some elements remaining the same: identity, diversity and the importance of the aesthetically pleasing as complimentary to the other two.

There is no intention to define urban design or to point out the “right” way of designing urban spaces. The theory is presented here to create some kind of flow from one design field to another and to demonstrate how they can be interrelated. Continue reading →