The Designer Democracy Challenge

What do you see?

Threats

Global urbanization

Rising Inequality

Climate Change

Crisis in Governance

Our Urban Reality• By 2030, 6 in 10 people will live in cities.• There are currently one billion people living in slums and

squatter settlements and that number is expected to double by 2030 and reach 3 billion by 2050 – UNHABITAT

Example: Pearl River Delta – China

Housing Crisis

• Based on current trends in urban migration and income growth, we estimate that by 2025, about 440 million urban households around the world—at least 1.6 billion people—would occupy crowded, inadequate, and unsafe housing or will be financially stretched. – McKinsey Global

• To replace today’s substandard housing and build additional units needed by 2025 would require an investment of $9 trillion to $11 trillion for construction; with land, the total cost could be $16 trillion.– McKinsey Global

Climate Change – It’s Science

• 2 degrees Celsius is a given. How much more is unknown.

• "Present temperature targets may commit Earth to at least six meters sea level rise“-scientists

• According to the International Energy Agency, the world needs $1 trillion a year between 2012 and 2050 to finance a low-emissions transition.

Climate Change Impacts

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• To adapt to a world 2 degrees Celsius warmer, developing countries will require an estimated $75–100 billion per year over the next 40 years to build resilience to these changes, and mitigation costs are expected to be in the range of $140–175 billion per year by 2030. – World Bank

-National Geographic

LA…yesterday & today

CA, yesterday and …today

Alaska and Washington are on fire

Rising Inequality

• Since 1990, inequality among households has grown significantly in the United States.

• The average white household has five times the wealth of the average Hispanic household and six times that of the average African-American household.

• Across neighborhoods, the story is stark

“Neighborhood inequality is growing” –The Urban Institute

In Manhattan, the top-fifth earned nearly $400,000,

versus less than $10,000 for those in the bottom fifth —

meaning the wealthiest residents now make more than 40 times as much as

those on the bottom rung.OUCH!

from The New York Post

Five Pointz, NYC

Brightwood, DC

The other global warming

Global Crisis in Governance

Recent Urban Protests across the world – A Sample

Our democracy is…disappearing

• Just 13% of Americans say the government can be trusted to do what is right always or most of the time. (10% say NEVER)

• Only 17% of Americans believe that big business can be trusted to do what is right always or most of the time

Our trust is…disappearing

Trust in the Workplace

• Nearly 100 percent (99.1) prefer a workplace in which people identify and discuss issues truthfully and effectively, yet less than half said their organization’s tendency is to do so. (2011 Fierce, Inc customer survey of more than 1,400 corporate executives, employees, and educators )

Citizens are pissed

These are unaddressed crises

Del Paso Heights, Sacramento

Skid Row, Los Angeles

Camden, New Jersey

Central City, New Orleans

Indianapolis

Bridgeport, CT

Detroit

Washington, DC

Baltimore

“Civilizations rise and fall-and sometimes if they are lucky-

they renew themselves” –John W. Gardner

In case you didn’t know…It’s up to you

Generational Change in the workplace/society

The Challenge & the Opportunity

• Create a grassroots movement for community change, driven by citizens at the local level, across the world, scaling up for global impact

• You represent an army of design leaders that can mobilize communities for change and harness the power of design for real impact

Urban Design Matters more than ever

Every action has to be climate positive

Place & Identity is @ the core of design

Happiness is a real metric

Fremont Troll, Seattle

Spruce Street Harbor Park, Philly

Independence Beer Garden - Philly

Austin, TXAmsterdam

Philadelphia, PA

It should be emotional

Make it fun. Celebrate community!

It’s about people. It’s not sustainable unless it involves the community!

Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are

created by everybody-- Jane Jacobs

People Power

100+K people from 182 countries =€2million in 2 weeks

Pallet Pavilion, Christchurch

Started in 2010, rapidly spreading

US, Canada, Australia, Iran (seriously)

The Highline: New York City

Citizen-Led Change Resources

• Volunteerism = $171 billion (only 64 mill people)

• Total Charitable Giving = $298.42 billion.

• Non-profits = $300 billion in investment into local communities

• Over half of all states have enacted legislation to enable private-sector participation in infrastructure projects, where there is an estimated $180 billion to be leveraged

• Crowdfunding - $3 billion in 2012 alone!

Civil Society - Example

• Global crowdfunding experienced accelerated growth in 2014, expanding by 167 percent to reach $16.2 billion raised, up from $6.1 billion in 2013. In 2015, the industry is set to more than double once again, on its way to raising $34.4 billion. - Massolution’s 2015CF – Crowdfunding Industry Report

The Difference Community Makes: Broadmoor, New Orleans

• 13,000 volunteers mobilized• Revitalization Plan• Formed CDC• Charter School• Education Corridor• Formed Improvement District• In 7 years, 85% of the 2,400 homes

were rebuilt and occupied

Designer Democracy

The Design Assistance Program

• Began in 1967 – inspired by civil rights movement. First community was a post-flood recovery for a downtown. Over 200 communities in US & Canada since. Adapted across the world.

Framework Principles

• Holistic, Interdisciplinary Approach to Community Design (Customization)

• Neutral Outsiders (Pro Bono Public Service)• COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION (Citizen Experts, Authentic

community-owned process, meaningful participation & broad investment)

South Africa-US-UK Connection

“Thanks in part to your superb efforts, we have concrete proof that group facilitation and group process methodologies yield significant, measurable results”

“inspiring”…”exceptional”

“A replicable set of values and a process that can be broadly applied to urban design and sustainable communities; and the development of a participatory culture and applied values that explicitly recognize the central place of the public in the design of the built environment.”

Endorsed by even the toughest critics

“They had ideas that we will incorporate on the waterfront and the park. We give them credit for working hard and diligently on the site. We’re going to look at it strongly and we think the job will be a tremendous success.” –Donald Trump, 1990s, following a NYC UDAT project

Most Communities Today“If we can just get that one, big, transformational investment done, it will change everything for us.”

[years of effort…no visual progress during this time…loss of excitement…bottom falls out.]

The Snowball Effect

“a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger and faster at every stage”

Applied to a community, this is a transformational principle…

MOMENTUM!

MOMENTUMMOMENTUM

MOMENTUM

We are…designersactivistsurbanistsvolunteers

organized by young professionalsWe are Grassroots

The Power of Citizen Architects

Urban Charrette can seem like a guerrilla movement in its approach to influencing urban development, compared to the usual process of meetings, hearings and deals between politicians, officials and developers that often take place in paneled and upholstered chambers.  -83 Degrees

Creative Conversations to change the dialogue

Mobility Market

Street Design Festival

Raising the Visibility of Design

Tampa SDAT

‘gallery’ of accomplishments

Bikeshare

From Parking Lots to Parks

Re-connecting to the Waterfront

CASE STUDY: Port Angeles, Washington (Population:

17,000)2009 Project

Prioritization Survey

Port Angeles, WA 2009 Project: 2 months later, 43 buildings repainted with volunteers and donated paint, (at least 3,500 volunteer hours, or roughly

$66,500 worth of donated labor) led to a façade improvement program, then private $

Bike Facilities

Wayfinding & Signage

ImplementationToday, major investments all over town

Some Examples:

Waterfront Redevelopment

$17 million

Marine Campus Facility

$12 million

Waterfront: from Team Process to Masterplan to groundbreaking , to…

Realizing Their Aspirations, in 5 years

Bringing People Back to the Waterfront

Transforming Downtown: Before

Transforming Downtown: After

Now they are having fun!

Sasquatch on a bike? That’s fun!

Snowball Effect: $100 Million+

Leveraging Investment for Placemaking

They are already in construction for phase 2

MOMENTUM!

MOMENTUMMOMENTUM

MOMENTUM

CASE STUDY: Newport, VT R/UDAT

Pop: 5,000 (2009)

2009 - Civic Pride Paradox

“I’ve seen Newport come, and I’ve seen it go.” - Lifelong Newport resident

‘Sugar on Snow’ Event Kickoff – Newport, VT

R/UDAT Process

High School Design Competition

Catalyst for Action

• “I don’t think this is one of those things that will sit on a shelf…this is about stimulating thought about what could happen. Above all, you have to be patient. When you see the right things coming together – and you see that in Newport – it’s cause for hope.” –Kevin Dorn, Secretary of Commerce & Community Development, State of Vermont

Newport – Two Years Later

• Civic “Attitude Adjustment”– “When you have people working together, things

can happen and do happen. That’s the most important change that has occurred – a change in attitude. All of a sudden, nothing is impossible.” –Newport Citizen

Wayfinding & Signage

Form Based Code

\

2014 – Speed Skating Marathon

February 21, 2015 – 1st sanctioned Winter Swimming Championship

in North America

Now it’s fun!

• 2011 – Newport receives Foreign Trade Zone status• 2011 – Canadian manufacturing firm co-locates here• 2011 – 2012 – Vermont biotech firm re-locates here• 2012 – 2013 – South Korean biotech firm co-locates

here• 2013 – Senior residential resort is built• 2014 – Waterfront resort conference center opens• 2014 – Re-development of blighted block on Newport’s

Main St.

Newport 2.0: $250 Million in New Investments

a six-story commercial and residential block -$70 million

Momentum!

Portland, OR - 1983

“Ever squinted your eyes and tried to imagine something that’s only in your head? That’s how it was for those of us who looked over the rail yards and abandoned warehouses of inner northwest Portland some 20 years ago. Rundown and dilapidated, it was a sight that even the best of us squinters had trouble overcoming.” – History of the Pearl District

Portland Impact

“Much of the re-development of the Pearl District was the result of collaboration between the city and private sectors. In the early 1980s, the Pearl District became the focus of planning efforts by the Portland Development Commission. Work that ensued included an urban design study, followed by the 1988 Central City Plan, the 1992 River District Vision Plan and 1994 River District Development Plan.”

Today: The Pearl District

“And yet, slowly, a largely forgotten part of Portland’s past became an urban icon of living unlike anything the country had ever seen: A unique blend of verve and vibrancy, with more than a passing nod to Portland’s uncommon brand of originality…. Today, the Pearl District has earned a worldwide reputation for urban renaissance. Diverse, architecturally significant, residential communities thrive here. Galleries rub shoulders with restaurants, shops open to parks, and no one has to squint anymore to see the magic that’s taken hold.”

Austin, TX

“When looking back on how far downtown Austin has come in the last 20 years, many newcomers to Austin would be surprised by the state of downtown in 1993. Few people resided in downtown and retail in the urban core was nearly non-existent. Needless to say, Austin was faced with a fairly dormant downtown…. From the [R/UDAT] plan came a number of recommendations that began the wheels of transformation to create the vibrant downtown we all know today.” – Charles Betts, Downtown Austin Magazine

San Francisco - 1984

Today: Iconic Place

“You gave us hope. Back in 1992, your ideas seemed like dreams. Now we are living those dreams.” – Rick Smith, San Angelo Times-Standard, 2012

Through grassroots designer democracy, we have the potential to

change the world. The challenges are stark. The opportunity is clear.

And it’s up to you.

A National Call to Action

DIY Start-Up Inspiration Kit

• Livability 101• Tee Shirts• Urbanism on Tap coasters

Questions?