By Alanna Bamber
My topic of study within the umbrella of physical social inclusion is how factors of inclusion/exclusion affect those in cities.
Why be concerned with social inclusion?
There are many barriers to inclusion in a society; physical presence within a community does not equate to inclusion and participation within the community. A lack of inclusion is associated with poor health outcomes as well as loneliness, isolation, and poor self-esteem.
“Exclusion entails the loss of status, lack of recognition, and often, humiliation.”
Social exclusion is a term used to describe inequalities between groups or individuals that can contribute to structuring access to critical resources in a community. These resources in part determine the quality of participation in a society. Barriers that may contribute to social exclusion come in many forms; physical, attitudinal, communication, policy, economic, transportation, etc. This term encompasses the material and non-material, social, and economic dimensions of disadvantage; total social exclusion from a society could be the result of cumulative disadvantage of labour market marginalization, poverty, and social isolation.
Cities and communities can help address the issue of social exclusion through policy, how spaces are used within the city, and how accessible these spaces are. Sharing resources can allow some people who may not have the ability to participate economically within the community to participate.
Inclusive Design Leader
I was able to interview Industrial Design Professor Galit Shvo at the DesForm conference in Eindhoven. Through this interview I gained insight into not only her process and her work, but her design philosophy, and how she views the future and what it means to be a citizen.
Galit Shvo first became involved in Inclusive Industrial design when Hadassah college’s design department was applying to be allowed to give academic degrees; the application for a BA was founded on the agenda of Inclusive Design. Her involvement in sharing economy projects began two years ago when a colleague requested she lend her expertise as a designer to the Reconomize group.
Currently she is working with Reconomize to advise municipalities on how cities can encourage small business to create a sharing environment, either by sharing resources or creating a local currency to encourage citizens to buy locally. She is also working with an organization to check the accessibility of small business in Jerusalem, both in regards to fair and equitable trading practices as well as physical accessibility. With her students she is conducting research into how unused space within the city can be used for the people, especially children and artists.
Methods
To begin a project, Shvo first spends some time sketching in order to define the problem area. After that, she conducts research including primary research such as site visits and user interviews. She investigates the users, their motivations, activities, opportunities, and difficulties. From there she works with an interdisciplinary team that includes a psychologist, economist, computer scientist, and policy maker to affect change in the area she is investigating.
User involvement and Collaboration
Shvo’s process is heavily influenced by the user. The whole process of creating an inclusive community is based on serving the user. They are involved in defining the problem, discovery needs and opportunities, and testing the solutions.
The main collaborators within this movement are policy makers and citizens. The sharing economy is based on the concept of users as “prosumers”, who both produce and consume resources and services. The effort to make spaces within the city more physically and economically accessible both serves the citizens and is the responsibility of citizens who own small businesses.
Awareness
According to Shvo, a large part of the shift towards creating a more socially inclusive city involves shifting the attitudes of those that can make changes in their businesses; either physically modifying their space to accommodate a wider range of people or changing their practices to promote the local economy. She believes that the world is undergoing a change that has originated from the bottom up; a “revolution for people as citizens”. About her responsibility in this revolution she stated this:
I feel it’s part of my duty not even as a designer but as a person to be a part of the contribution to local and small businesses and the individuals, instead of being only a consumer of big names or big companies. It changes your whole behaviour.
Cities and Social Inclusion
I found Shvo’s views on the role of design in social inclusion as related to the city and the economy thought-provoking; I wanted to further understand how the design of cities function to exclude certain groups or individuals, and how a more inclusive community can be built.
When looking through the literature on cities and social inclusion, I found that issues of social inclusion or exclusion can be broken down into three different levels. I also found three different dimensions of social inclusion. I wanted to understand the mechanisms of exclusionary practices from a variety of different perspectives, and how design could possibly counteract exclusion on these levels. How could social disengagement be minimized to create more inclusive and innovative cities, and encourage participation within communities?
The Macro level
This level is concerned with geographic accessibility and land use. Land use patterns can be considered in terms of location, distance, density, and diversity. Population profiles may be considered, and catchment areas identified. City planning, zoning and policies around land use can have effects on this level of social participation and inclusion.
“A key mechanism of social exclusion is segregation or spatial exclusion. Putting distance between people also reduces interaction among them[…]while sharing the same space means similar interests in the economic, social and political environment – the local labor market, collective activities and political representation.”
I also found that this issue is multi-dimensional. When looking through the literature, three dimensions that reoccurred were economic, social, and political. I tried to identify how these dimensions affect those experiencing social exclusion.
Economic dimensions on the macro level include:
Being economically relegated to neighbourhoods that are far from jobs, provide low quality education, are environmental degraded, and have a lack of working role models. Lack of ownership of housing and material goods and exclusion from the labour market are additional ways one can be excluded.
“But the economic dimensions need not refer only to monetary poverty or insufficient income; scholars have also considered exclusion from land, credit, and other assets, food and other consumption goods, and of course, the labour market. The perspective easily incorporates regional, gender, and ethnic/cultural variation, and usually takes notice of the spatial setting.”
Social dimensions include:
Social capital and social cohesion; community solidarity and social ties can affect a person’s choice on where to live. A wealthier neighbourhood with better access to resources such as education may not be as desirable for an individual as a neighbourhood in which they feel they belong to.
“Social cohesion and social organization increase social control and collective efficacy.”
Other social dimensions on which people are included or excluded are gender, race, ethnicity, caste, citizenship, and disability. Personal social relationships, physical health, and psychological well-being are key to being socially included in a society.
Political dimensions include:
Exclusionary zones and housing, related to concentrated poverty; stability and effective governance.
“Stability and peace, rule of law, control of corruption, and government and regulatory effectiveness are as important to good governance and social inclusion as is equal participation of citizens.”
Political participation is a dimension on which people can be included or excluded. Policies that fight exclusion and increase participation often focus on giving a voice to excluded groups.
These dimensions have effects on employment, schooling, health, and intergenerational mobility; exclusion along these dimensions can lead to disempowerment, distrust, and disengagement.
Design solution example: Placemaking
“Strengthening the connection between people and the places they share, Placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value. More than just promoting better urban design, Placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use, paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.”
Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning and design of public spaces. This approach emphasizes civil action, social innovation, and social inclusion, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote health and well-being for citizens.
Example 1: Corbin Farmers Market
This market helped reduce the downtown vacancy in Corbin, Kentucky from 40% to less than 5% in three years using the the Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper principles of simple, low cost implementation, by giving residents a reason to go to the downtown core.
Example 2: POD Initiative: Micro-Dwelling and Village-Making with Portland’s Houseless Community
This initiative asks the architecture and design community to apply their skills to village building to help benefit the homeless population of Portland, Oregon.
The result of this initiative is projects such as the Clackamas County Veterans Village (CCVV), a charitable effort to create sleeping pods for 15 houseless veterans.
The Meso Level
This level involves the availability of housing and transportation for citizens, as well as safety and security concerns. Additionally, the local small businesses and economies are needed to promote the economic participation and engagement of citizens. Citizens as “pro-sumers”, both providing goods and services as well as acting as consumers, create a local environment of engagement and participation.
Mechanisms that can increase social engagement at this level include efforts to increase community safety, the promotion of resource sharing between small businesses, local currencies, and municipal regulations and standards.
Design solution example: Community‐Based Resource Sharing
“Over the past century, developed and developing countries have been moving toward a social structure that is focused on material well‐being and the individualization of goods and services. While the economic growth to support these trends has lifted many people out of poverty and helped to meet people’s basic needs, the over-consumption of natural resources and burning of fossil fuels to meet our growing material demands has led to environmental degradation and climate change, economic inequality, and decreasing social capital.”
Types of Community Resource Sharing:
- Product Service Systems (sharing products or services)
- Redistribution Markets (goods are sold, traded, or freely given)
- Examples: Kijiji, LetGo, Craigslist, TrashNothing, Yerdle, thredUp
- Collaborative Lifestyles (time or skills are shared)
- Examples: Skillshare, Khan Academy, TimeRepublik
The Micro Level
Examples: Skillshare, Khan Academy, TimeRepublikThe Micro level includes physical barriers to participation that affect individuals with particular abilities/disabilities and needs. To be inclusive cities must have barrier-free public spaces and transport. There must be ways for an individual to earn income.
This level concerns the individual and their journey in and out of a socially excluded role, whether through mechanisms of the labour forse, poverty, social capital, family transitions, or physical and mental health.
Mechanisms to increase social inclusion on the micro level include groups that assess the accessibility of public spaces and business and social movements that increase individual agency and reduce stigma.
Design solution example: Open Bridge
This is a shelving product which offers space to exchange goods instead of throwing them in the trash. It aims to reduce stigma around individuals who recycle other peoples waste for money and divert usable items from a landfill.
Design solution example: StopGap Community Ramp projects
With donated building materials and volunteer labour, this organization provides free ramps for businesses to increase accessibility for people using mobility devices.
In Conclusion
When first thinking about the physical dimension of social inclusion, I mainly considered physical barriers to participation in social activities. After interviewing Galit Shvo I realized that the issue of physical social inclusion not only encompassed the removal of physical barriers but many other issues as well:
- Geographical issues around accessibility and transport
- Effective and community-building land use
- Segregated or diverse neighbourhoods
- Exclusionary zoning and gated communities
- Physical safety and security
- Availability of secure housing
- Local economies and economic participation of citizens
- Resource sharing and optimizing resource use
- Removal of stigma
- Bringing the circular economy to the local level to increase social engagement
Designers are already acting to address these issues and I believe design will have an increasingly bigger role as societies change.
“Global integration is accompanied by local exclusions. Regions having trouble adapting to rapid social change lack the necessary networks and social relations to participate actively in larger markets.”
As globalization and urbanization increases feelings of community and social cohesion can decrease – it is up to the citizens to bring social engagement and inclusion back to their communities.
References
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ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVE DESIGN CASE STUDIES 