No More Dumb Design!

I opened my refrigerator and was struck by a few things: 1. I need to go grocery shopping, 2. tomato paste doesn't keep as long as you think it might, 3. there were some definite parallels to planning. For the sake of this assignment, I'll stick with the third point. I saw so many out of season, non-local foods, all packaged so excessively. How much better it would be if I had seasonal, locally-grown, and minimally packaged foods instead. With this style of consumption, I would be reducing chemical use from out of season growing, fossil fuel emissions from transportation, and landfill waste from over-packaging. All three of these are substantial effects. So how does this relate to design? Well, what if we were to use my same improved model of consumption, and apply it do planning? What if we were to design structures that were relevant to their location, effective in all four seasons, and eco-friendly in design? I believe we would experience substantial effects, just as I would by buying different food, but at a much larger scale.

As for the photograph included in this week's prompt, it's hard to tell exactly what's occurring. Perhaps it can be interpreted in multiple ways, as most things can. Personally, I saw trees that weren't apt to grow where they were planted, and rather than being replaced with indigenous species, they were being forced upright via constructed braces. But perhaps the photograph could be viewed a different way. Perhaps these trees were local and successful to the area in which they're planted, but were damaged by a storm. Perhaps rather than letting the trees die, locals pooled their knowledge together and used a common regional solution-- the bracing of trees.

 I guess lately I've been really struck with the fact that things don't have to be the way they are. Perpetuation of poor design is not inevitable-- it can change. Future planners can decide to base their designs on the strengths and weaknesses of the place at hand, rather than simply applying a cookie-cutter stencil from developments of the past that have no relevance or power in the present. Future designers could realize that a lot of students would take public transit to campus, if there were better provisions for the climate extremes we deal with in Utah, like shelters and shade. Future designers could realize that a lot of Utahans live in the state because of its abundance of natural beauty, and could incorporate nods toward our dynamic landscapes throughout the city via murals, sculptures, plant displays, the direction our windows face, and even the colors used in buildings. Future designers could realize that Utah's history is full of atrocities toward indigenous peoples, and give voice and recognition to Native Americans by incorporating traditional building and artistry techniques. (As long as the techniques used were used with permission and consultation from the tribes and nations, as many cultural elements are sacred and not to be appropriated.)

It's an overwhelming notion-- that things don't have to stay the same, that there's so much that can and should be changed. But it's also a hopeful one. Design doesn't have to be dumb, and I'm here to make that known.