Filed under: Industrial Design, Social Design, Urban Design | Tags: aesthetics, city identity, design research, Design Theory, dissertation, Gillo Dorfles, image, Industrial Design, interaction, Kevin Lynch, Marshal Mcluhan, master thesis, perception, semiotics, sign, symbol, Urban Design, urban furniture, urban spaces, visual communication
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
Filed under: Industrial Design, Urban Design | Tags: Aalborg, Bologna, branding, city image, creative class, creative spaces, Delft, Den Haag, dissertation, identity, image, Industrial Design, mapping, orientation, recreation, thesis, urban furniture, urban planning, urban spaces
In the following pages of this chapter, research into two cities is extensively presented: Aalborg and Den Haag. Near the end of the chapter, two more cities are mentioned briefly to identify the type of character they promote and to demonstrate how they project their image to themselves and to the outside world.
The section begins with a very brief description of the geographical position and comparable characteristics of the cities, moving from there to their respective histories. Their economic situations will follow and finally their current situation in general, meaning what their current development plans involve. The texts here are taken and modified from the cities’ branding and advertisements to attract people to the city as residents eager to take advantage of the new and exciting ways of life offered to them.
Interviews with members of the municipalities, either currently working on projects or able to provide information on the vision and identity of the city, follow. For this part, substantial research material was gathered towards understanding the cities’ development and their priorities, the competition between cities and their treatment of spaces and inhabitants.
Although the layout is seemingly top-down (beginning with general information and moving into specifics and facts on the ground), this was merely done for the reader’s benefit. Research began from observing the aesthetic result and moved on from there to investigate the reasons for it.
At the end of the chapter, there is a brief reflection, critically analysing the research conducted until that point and focused on extracting the essence of the image and the identity of a city. The location and focus on the importance of diversity and its expression, both intentionally and unintentionally, holds an important place in this project as well. At the same time, urban furniture will be inserted into this critique, evaluating its role and importance as it has been experienced. Continue reading
Design For Thought 