Design Principles for More-than-Data Walks

With the rise of the data-driven society, there is a danger of losing insights of unique, nuanced, and complex dynamics that are critical to our understanding of and engagement with place. This research establishes how the use of walking reveals the concept of More-than-Data. This concept forms the basis of a series of design principles capable of engaging with complex, unique, and temporal placed-based data, information, knowledge, wisdom and lived experience. Our understanding and experience of the places we inhabit are being increasingly mediated by technologies, many of which are driven by quantitative, automatically gathered data. These types of data can provide us with huge amounts of information once processed and analysed, however this data-driven mediation of our spaces and places is but one way of understanding and experiencing the world in which we live. Whilst these types of automatically gathered data enable us to gain valuable insights into our world, the reliance upon outsourcing our senses and collecting data are often illegible to many people who do not possess the skills or equipment to engage in these modes of quantifying and mapping place. Other, valuable types of data exist in place, but these are often latent within place or people and more difficult to access. Therefore, those who have much to contribute to increasing knowledge about our world, are often excluded. This research explores the knowledge gap that exists in understanding how these data-driven and situated modes of understanding place might be synthesised and contributes to a growing body of research that explores how we might interrogate the data-driven society through the practice of walking. This nascent approach answers calls for critical approaches to understanding the impact of the data-driven society by moving through a place and exploring what data means in that location. Through the exploration of practices that are located within the data-driven realm the concept of More-than-Data emerged and is defined as “a heuristic guide that encourages and embeds the collection, conceptualisation, interrogation, storage and re-use of data, information, knowledge, wisdom and lived-experience in, from and through place.” To explore how More-than-Data can be embedded within a practice, five walks were designed and carried out. The insights developed through the walks have been synthesised with findings from literature and interviews carried out, to form the basis for a set of design heuristics. The three key contributions to knowledge presented in this research are: 1. The concept of More-than-Data 2. A set of design principles that can be used by a wide range of people that embed More-than-Data in place. 3. The “Pathways Forward” Method that can be used to collate and make sense of emergent findings that brings together diverse types of research data and artefacts

Beyond the smart city:reflecting human values in the built environment

The paper presents a work in progress that will develop a tool for mapping and reflection upon human values within the context of the ‘smart’ city. As the rise in ‘smart’ city initiatives and implementation of technologies within the urban environment become more evident, citizens face irrevocable changes to their environment and their lives within the city. Such a reliance upon technological strategies to fix cities’ ills and a drive for constant innovation within the ‘smart’ city is largely being driven by technology companies and city leaders. Citizens must live with the consequences of such strategies which have the potential to change their environments in momentous ways. In order to develop new technologies within the urban environment Living Labs are becoming increasingly prevalent, enabling designers of technologies to engage with multiple stakeholders, including citizens, in the design and implementation of new products. We present a work in progress that develops a tool for the mapping of and reflection upon, human values in order to avoid unnecessary technologies being imposed upon citizens. Furthermore, we seek to engage those currently driving the ‘smart’ city agenda in envisioning an alternative future where consideration of citizen’s values and the effectiveness of the city takes priority over technology implementation for the sake of efficiencies. We present the need for this new tool as it goes further than existing methods in its potential for enabling citizens to develop clear understanding of the values present in the ‘smart’ city environment

Critical reflection on data publics:a multi-methodology perspective

A problem with making “big data” (such as that on climate change) public is its interpretation. Raw data is generally incomprehensible, and requires some form of analysis to make sense. Previous attempts involve citizens in this analysis have often taken the form of competitive hackathons, where volunteer programmers work on the data and create interpretations of it over a short time period (Briscoe and Mulligan, 2014). However, these interpretations rarely go beyond dealing with technical problems, and it seems difficult to get other citizens involved due to this technical nature (Hellberg and Hedström, 2015). When dealing with complex systems (Mulgan and Leadbeater, 2013), such as global weather patterns or human societies (and the effects of one on the other), we need to deal with underlying factors. The experience of a group of 10 PhD researchers on the Hebridean island of Tiree offers a pointer to a multi-methodology approach that could help deal with big data and uncover non-obvious factors. Their work in October 2016 focused on re-purposing 11 phone boxes on the island that had been recently been decommissioned and given to the community. Data gathering took place over two days, the first day was a “data walk” to elict thoughts and reflections from both researchers and islanders on what constituted data, where walking has been shown to help with gathering data about a sense of place (Evans and Jones, 2011). On the second day, the researchers undertook a “writing free-fall”, where each participant spent an hour with a phone box, reflecting on both the box itself, its surroundings and its possibilities. Free-writing (Badger and White, 2000) was encouraged to overcome blocks to creativity. This parallel process allowed each participant to express their creativity and wishes in a methodology of their choice, leading to a diverse range of responses. These included practical technical solutions, propositional objects, values-led design, poetry and art. After this individual engagement, one researcher gathered together all their responses in a group exercise. As each person gave their response, they brought with them their own background, methodology and worldview. The discussion developed to consider design possibilities that were not obvious, that challenged the taken-for-granted assumptions about what a telephone box was, uncovering its deeper meaning to the local community. This process thus became one of critical reflection (Mezirow, 1990). As the discussion progressed, the value of openness became important in both implementing technical solutions and in creating a renewed sense of community around the re-purposed phone boxes. We propose this multi-methodology as one that could be particularly relevant to data publics, where stakeholders could reflect on the potential for a particular dataset to inform and enhance their lives.Bringing their individual reflections and approaches together in a facilitated session can then promote critical reflection, a transformation of the meaning of the dataset. Such a transformed meaning can then inform how the data could be used to create sustainable solutions to wicked problems in society (Rittel and Webber, 1973), including the effects of climate change

Traditional Maker Practices and Sustainable Futures. The implications of expertise

This paper considers the contemporary position of traditional maker practices and their relationship to sustainability. It outlines the basis of the approach and insights from the field, and offers a range of initiatives where design can make a positive contribution to traditional production. Traditional maker practices are in steep decline in the UK and internationally; the kinds of knowledge promoted and valued in contemporary society tend to beat odds with those inherent to these kinds of practices. The paper considers the inadequacy of purely theoretical forms of knowledge and demonstrates the importance of values-guided practice, experience, skills,and tacit and situated knowledge. It shows the important links between traditional practices, sustainability and place, and, by citing a range of initiatives around the world, proposes directions for a more constructive way forward for small maker practices rooted in tradition

Where's Wally?:in search of citizen perspectives on the smart city

This paper builds upon an earlier conference publication by the authors, offering contributions based on a systematic literature review and qualitative study. The paper begins by drawing attention to the paucity of “citizen”—more appropriately, “situated”—perspectives on what a smart city should and could be. The paper then addresses that absence by detailing a research project that explored how people in London, Manchester, and Glasgow responded to the smart city concept. Participants were asked questions regarding their prior familiarity with the phrase “smart city”, their thoughts relating to what it means for a city to be smart, and what a “true” smart city might mean to them. The paper analyses and offers a synthesis of the responses collected throughout the research with the dominant rhetoric about smart cities, as identified through a recent systematic literature review, thereby providing a critical assessment of the values underlying the smart city. It aims to explore and present some of the expectations that citizens hold for their cities’ politicians, policy makers, planners, academics, and technology companies. We believe that these perspectives from citizens can be used to inform responsible development, spatially and socially inclusive technologies, and ultimately more resilient cities

Living Design. The future of sustainable maker enterprises

This paper presents initial findings from Living Design, a project supported by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research examines small and micro-enterprises in Cumbria, UK, and the potential for design to make a contribution to their sustainment and flourishing. The paper presents research carried out with enterprises in Cumbria, who use wool as their main material. We present three case studies of makers who create beautifully designed, wool-based goods and whose practice include the whole cycle from sourcing fleece locally and manufacturing of their products, to design, branding and retail. We explore how the enterprises exemplify sustainability principles and their contribution to a circular economy. We present our findings and the concept of Located Making-purposeful goods whose design, production or use is dependent on place-which is informing the development of guides for enterprises, researchers and organisations to embed sustainability principles into their practices

Located Making: Design for Sustainability in Small Maker Enterprises (Fabricación in situ: diseño para la sustentabilidad en pequeñas empresas fabricantes)

This paper presents findings from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project Living Design: The Effective Use of Design for Sustainability in Small Maker Enterprises. The project examines enterprises that, for various reasons, are deeply rooted in ‘place’. These kinds of enterprises often continue long-established traditional practices but, today, they are frequently in decline. Ironically, this decline is occurring at the very time there is renewed interest in such practices, which are associated with heritage, provenance, authenticity and cultural identity. Here we present evidence-based findings and the emergence of a concept we have termed Located Making, which recognizes the connection of these practices to the place and culture in which they operate. Our research identifies factors that may help – or hinder – such enterprises, as well as areas where design can make a contribution to ensure resilience commensurate with design for sustainability. Through its robust engagement with the complex and interrelated issues of design, sustainability and placed-based heritage, the research presents insights that will be of interest to researchers, enterprise development personnel and policy makers at the regional level, as well as makers and maker associations and related third sector organisations such as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Programme

Design ecologies: Sustaining ethno-cultural significance of products through urban ecologies of creative practice

This paper presents an account of field research and its findings from an international knowledge exchange project entitled Design Ecologies: Sustaining ethno-cultural significance of products through urban ecologies of creative practice, jointly funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing. The contribution of this paper is to effectively communicate the processes, mechanisms and benefits of an academic knowledge exchange programme. In this case, six exchange visits were carried out, three to China by the British team and three to the UK by the Chinese team. These visits offered opportunities for both teams to gain insights into a variety of heritage sites and craft practices, as well as to the wider policy landscapes in each country. We found that the use of certain terms, like ‘creative industries’, to refer to traditional craft practices and other heritage related activities can be problematic as they tend to emphasise their instrumental rather than their intrinsic value. The Chinese team found the importance and significance of volunteers within the UK’s cultural heritage landscape to be very different from that of China, which does not have a history of volunteering. On the other hand, China supports its Intangible Cultural Heritage through adoption of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, hereafter referred to as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) programme or UNESCO convention (UNESCO 2019b; Cominelli and Greffe 2012); in contrast, the UK has not ratified the UNESCO convention. The China team commented on the UK’s approach to heritage that keeps a sense of ‘living’ heritage, e.g. The English Lake District is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre in which people still live and work. In China, such areas are often depopulated to preserve the heritage and focus on tourism. The British team identified opportunities for design contributions in the visualisation of interrelated and interdependent “ecosystems” of design and production, as observed in Jingdezhen Ceramics Factory. Also, at Taoxichuan Creative Zone design was already being used effectively for the design of artefacts, points of sale, branding and packaging. There is much potential for this to be explored and developed further with different case studies in the UK and China. A shared understanding was developed from the knowledge exchange visits and visit reports created by each of the respective teams. These led to a set of conclusions, insights and themes. Finally, this project has already paved the way for a further Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) research project entitled Located Making, in collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and Ningxia University

Design strategies for future governance in emergencies:A case study

In this paper, we report a case study of the Covid-19 response in Lancaster, a district council in north-west England. This short study is based on a combination of publicly available data and interviews with key officers and politicians. We consider the ways in which the city took a systematic approach to dealing with the pandemic; for example, how a pre-existing emergency plan dealing with the prioritisation and delivery of key services during a pandemic was rapidly adapted as the needs of local residents emerged and were understood by officers. Furthermore, we present ways forward in which using a design approach might enable learning from this pandemic to be embedded into the strategic planning for the future. In parallel with the written emergency strategy the council realised there was an urgent need to support for the local community and businesses in response to the unique nature of the pandemic. This research is located within wider research questions of how design-led approaches might contribute to policy decisions. In this paper we explore how design may cement learnings, reflections and experiences, thereby building stronger future practices, strategic responses, and resilience in public sector organisations. In particular, we are interested in layering, and the type of emergent strategic challenges which can result when multiple extraordinary events take place concurrently, such as a flood incident during a pandemic, which occurred in Lancaster in January 2021. The results of our initial study demonstrate some ways in which the particular strategic response in Lancaster was enabled by features and structure of the public sector organisations in this region and how design might enable the learning from these experiences be embedded into future strategic planning. For example, the council was able to be flexible because of adequate staffing levels. Because services were categorised by demand, staff could be redeployed to the highest priority areas such as refuse collection, the establishment of a community hub, and customer service information. This was the result of not outsourcing any of their services, a practice that has become endemic within all scales of Government in the UK, but which is now being reversed in a range of places (Sasse et al. 2020). We also explore how emergency response during the pandemic has accelerated existing long term strategic plans for the region. For example, policies which had been on the horizon such as developing active transport, developing the urban realm and flexible working policies were brought forward rapidly. It is vital that we develop and share understandings how an emergency such as the pandemic, which has largely not been experienced operationally by local government politicians and officers, presents both challenges and opportunities to explore how strategies operate and how they can be living documents and practices. Reflection is key to this. References: Gatzweiler, F; Fu, B; Rozenblat, C; Su, H.J.J; Luginaah, I; Corburn, J (2020) COVID-19 reveals the systemic nature of urban health globally, Cities and Health, doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1763761 Accessed 16.2.21 Sass, T; Nickson, S; Britchfield, C; Davies, N (2020) Government outsourcing: When and how to bring public services back into government hands, London, Institute for Governmen