During the 2011-12 school year, the JCDC will teach the design component for Midtown Partner’s Project Innovation in Midtown.

46 Brown Elementary students will spend afternoons with the JCDC staff learning about sustainable architecture and communities.  Exercises and field trips will expose the students to principles of the Built Environment, Transportation, Energy, and Food Production in cities and in Midtown.  Session 1 began with lessons in mapping and space planning so that the students can design our “new design center.”  Each session will build on ideas introduced in the previous session.  Field trips will include the Old Capitol Museum, the new housing units on Livingston, Pearl River Glass Studio, Studio 2 Concrete, and more.

Click to view slideshow.

Barry will be spending the semester conducting his thesis research as a Graduate Fellow with the Jackson Community Design Center.  This partnership was initiated due to the similar goals each party shares – the movement towards  more sustainable and balanced cities as we progress.  Barry will be approaching the idea of progress in cities through the cultural evolution of our communities.  It’s undeniable that we grow and evolve as a race through our social structures and perceptive norms, and Barry will help us understand some of the social structures that exist in Jackson and to what degree social, environmental, and economic sustainability is considered or sought. If Barry requests an interview, please oblige his request and speak freely.  The information will help us all development a better understanding of the urban systems that exists or could exist.  Below is Barry’s research abstract.

Research Abstract by Barry White:
Jackson, Mississippi is currently undergoing its own revitalization movement in an attempt to revive its blighted downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods that have fallen victim to urban sprawl. These efforts involve real-estate development ventures, historic preservation initiatives, and “green” projects that include greenway and bicycle corridors, which add connectivity to the downtown setting. While physical development is crucial to revival of the downtown landscape, the cultural landscape, which consists of the collective ideas, beliefs, and attitudes of Jacksonians, must also be considered as a driving factor in revitalization (Blewitt 2008). Using criteria of sustainable development will allow the exploration of the “dialogue of values” within Jackson’s population and will serve to identify unique concerns and apply these concerns to the development process (Blewitt 2008).

Using ethnographic research methods, I am meeting with developers, business owners, and residents working or living in and around downtown Jackson to gather differing desires, positions, and values concerning the four elements of sustainable development: cultural, economic, political, and environmental criteria. Through the identification of these varying attitudes, behaviors, and awareness levels among Jacksonians, the research is intended to measure how well elements of sustainable development are being supported and implemented into the revitalization strategy.

Working with key informants in the downtown and surrounding communities will allow me to capture participants’ personal experiences in Jackson and their unique concerns (if any) about the revitalization movement. The completion of this research project will provide a mapping of Jacksonians’ connections with elements of sustainable development that can serve as a foundation to support participants’ needs in future city development initiatives.

Barry will also be working with the Theory of Urban Design class taught to the 5th year architecture students this fall. Recently, he gave a lecture to the students regarding the basics of cultural anthropology and developing research methods (pictured above). The JCDC will publish some of Barry’s findings following the completion of his fellowship.

Over 300 people convened at the Convention Center in Jackson on August 10  to discuss the cultivation of Mississippi’s Creative Economy.  Congratulations are due to the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi Arts Commission for organizing such an enthralling event.  We spent the day discussing how our organically grown arts economy (which is composed of 3% of the State’s population) can continue to flourish. There is an ever-growing need for us “creatives” to capitalize on our creativity so that Mississippi can be a place where artists, designers, chefs, and a myriad of other professions can establish their careers and a desirable quality of life.  MAC unveiled its recent study,”Realizing the Economic Potential of Creativity in Mississippi,” which covers topics from current economic trends and enterprises to goals and strategies for the future. It identifies sectors of the creative economy as well as recommendations for communities. In this study, you can learn about all facets of Mississippi’s creative economy. To download this study visit http://www.mscreativeeconomy.com/study.php.

Pictured above: Opening remarks with Whit Hughes, MDA, Governor Haley Barbour,and Malcolm White, MAC. Following the opening remarks, we experienced a “speed dating” session in which we  funneled into one room, chose 6 presentations and spent 10 minutes with each. It was a great way to get an overview of different departments that all seem to be working together. We covered pin-pointing artistic assets in a community, telling your story through film, effectively planning festivals, funding sources, MS Main Street opportunities, and quite a few other topics. Following this session we had some great entertainment during lunch by Shannon McNally (pictured below) and then had several other break out sessions and a panel discussion. It was so encouraging to hear of so many different tactics and programs that are functioning well and being effective in their communities.  For all of you out there in the business of creativity, I definitely suggest spending some time on MAC and MDA’s website, get familiar with the departments that specialize in your area and meet the people involved. Organize your community and your artistic cohorts and take your needs to their departments. As Malcolm White said yesterday, “He is with the government, and he is here to help.”

I recently returned from a cross-country road trip that originated in Jackson, MS with two other friends, a Camry and a 26-foot moving truck, and ended with being dropped off in Portland, OR on foot. What made this travel so interesting is the macro to micro scale of exploration and movement across the country which led me across ten states into a city which I had never been.  I went from the company of two of my closest friends, switching out the responsibility of driving  the truck to the car, traveling for 7 to 12 hours each day, using multiple means of geo-coding and smart phone technology to find a place to stay each night, utilizing two-way radios to communicate to each other, to being dropped off in Portland to explore the city independently on foot.

The ease at which this transition can occur in 2011 is amazing.  Due to the reputation of the City of Portland being completely accommodating to a pedestrian (more true in July perhaps than other months of the year), and my smart phone, I felt completely confident that I would have no trouble finding my way and means for moving around the city.  As an Urban Researcher, I experience a city hyper-sensitive to my ability to move, find food and shelter, and the quality of these experiences.  Of all the experiences had on this journey, one struck me as pertinent to my role in the JCDC.  A walk across the Burnside Bridge in Portland.

On the 6th day of this trip, I needed to get from my hotel to meet a friend in the city.  It was a sunny day, and I wanted to walk.  I looked at the Google Map on my Iphone, and thought “there is no way I can walk over such a big bridge,” but I started walking regardless knowing that I would find a bus if the walk truly deemed to be impossible.  Seven blocks into the mission across the city, I was pleasantly surprised, not only could I walk across the bridge, there were spacious side walks on either side.  Not only could I walk, I could have used the blatantly green bike lane, ridden the bus, ridden a skate board (which also have their own routes indicated throughout the city), or driven a car.  My senses were completely heightened during this part of the walk.  I could hear cars buzzing by, people waived and were friendly, and I made it across happy and healthy.

It occurred to me that was is so remarkable about Portland is that it’s not that remarkable at all.  What is unique is not necessarily its architecture or it’s industry, but the city allows for options and lacks oppression.  It shouldn’t be so shocking that I can WALK where I need to go, but most would find it surprising how much this concept can seem like rocket science in a municipal or Department of Transportation meeting.  This is the case in most of the cities that I traveled through in the 10 states on my route to Oregon.  This condition of a river or interstate dissecting a city has created an impermeable barrier in so many cities across the country.  This was apparent by the dozens of design concepts and presentations that occurred during our symposium, FORMCities in the fall of 2010.  So it was refreshing to see such low-tech solutions to literally “bridging” the divide.  The people of Portland remind me that this condition of free pedestrian and cyclist movement is only really comfortable during the summer months.  The cities location between Mt. Hood and the Pacific Ocean unfortunately leads to rain and cold weather for many months of the year.  So, how unfortunate is it that cities with more mild or predictable climates, and smaller footprints, don’t see the importance of this phenomenon, a walk across a bridge.

mid- a discourse on mid size cities:

A journal published by the JCDC that will address shared problems and opportunities of the mid size city.  mid- is a platform for the exchange of ideas that will lead to a comprehensive model for achieving a balance between human inhabitation and ecosystems. In the absence of such a dialogue, designers and developers are left to solve the same problems in myriad cities as-if for the first time.  Each volume of mid- will address an urban obstacle and its relationship to one of four target areas: innovation, capital, education and community.  The Innovation issue will focus on urban designers, planners, architects, artists, and innovators of mid-size cities.  Capital will discuss issues related to capital driven opportunities, both public and private, in the realm of ecology, development, and business.  Education will highlight methods of outreach and teaching to develop a society of informed and engaged citizens.  Community will feature grassroots, locally driven change and empowerment.  mid- will call for contributions from professionals, academics, and practitioners that work within the 127 MSA’s included in our study area.  The format for the publication will be a limited number of print circulation and digital download.

A print and digital copy is available for purchase online at Lulu.com.  All proceeds from Mid- will go to the production of future issues.  Thank you for your support.

On June 6, 2011 the leaders and brightest minds of our government, cities, and technology development congregated to discuss how our cities and citizens can utilize data and technology to become more “intelligent.”  We heard from top executives at IBM, the Rockefeller Foundation, the White House, TIME Magazine, MIT, and other non-profit or civic minded designers and organizations.  The message was clear, we have data.  Lots and lots of data with infinite possibilities for disseminations, but how do we make sure municipalities and citizens are maximizing its potential to lead to cities with minimized carbon footprints, healthy air, or the myriad of other characteristics that would lead to a more sustainable world?  Not surprisingly, It seems to always boil down to economics, legislation, and accessibility.

It was also overwhelmingly clear that we have reached a point where accessibility is more achievable than ever.  Average citizens can purchase hand held devices that open up to a world of organized information, cities can build technological architecture to improve efficiency and safe money, and the government has open source information available.  Where the creativity must be implemented is in establishing the RIGHT systems, collecting the CORRECT and COMPREHENSIVE information, and working to ensure that we have learned from past mistakes in development.

IBM introduced an interactive wall of screens that housed “The Smarter City.”  An imaginary smart city that is modeled and contains the real time data necessary to make informed, real time decisions for lawmakers and citizens.  This information can be transferred through Smart Phone application and analysis tools for government departments.  A good example of how this is being implemented in cities already are Mobile Parking Apps which combine sensors on parking spots and a database of available parking garages which reduces the amount of time people spend driving around looking for a spot to park, waisting gas and emitting exhaust into the environment.

The National Building Museum also sponsored a 24-hour competition that posed the question “What would you do for your city if you had 24 hours? Although the content proposed varied from this 24 hour time frame. It was very interesting to see how information about an initiative manifested. The winning team

Susan Piedmont-Palladino, the curator of the National Building Museum and organizer of the Intelligent Cities Initiative published an article on The Hill’s Congress Blog.  Please visit the link to read even more about the potential for our cities to become more intelligent: Building Intelligent Cities.  Piedmont-Palladino will also be the author of the Intelligent Cities Book to be released later this fall.  Stay tuned.

Members of the JCDC will be present at the the Intelligent Cities Conference on Monday — read a little more about it from the Website:

http://www.nbm.org/intelligentcities/

On June 6, 2011 the National Building Museum will convene a one-day forum to explore the intersection of data, technology, and cities. Informed by a series of Intelligent Cities infographics that have appeared in TIME and responses from public polling queries, the forum will engage thought leaders, government officials, and the public to think about how to use existing and emerging technologies to improve our built environment. Held in the Great Hall of our historic home in Washington, D.C., this event will be simultaneously broadcast on the web.

Interactive presentations throughout the day will explore such topics as:

• What Makes an Intelligent City?
• The City as a Lab
• Engaging the Broader Community
• Regionally Thinking: Transportation, Affordability, and Equity
• Imagining a Healthier City
• Community and Social Interaction in the Wireless City
• Designing a Collaborative Built Environment

Please follow the link below to learn more and vote once a day!

http://www.refresheverything.com/jacksonisart

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT JACKSON IS ART 2010, PLEASE SEE OUR PAGE:

http://caadjcdc.wordpress.com/projects/teaching/jxn-is-art-a-design-studio/   

Most creative-based disciplines operate around a process of iteration and critique. Give a problem to ten architects, and you’ll end up with ten different solutions. Where architectural and design-based solutions find their value is in their ability to withstand criticisms from objective viewers.

Some in academia recognize the value in this method of thinking, and hope to see it expand away from the traditional “creative” disciplines, and into other career fields such as business. To this end, Chris Monson (a former professor of mine) of Mississippi State’s College of Architecture, Art & Design, along with Gerald Nelson of MSU’s Entrepreneurship Center, organized a workshop in an effort to both educate and test the methods involved in Design Thinking. Chris and Gerald organized approximately 20 participants (including myself) from various disciplines and occupations.

Through a series of lectures and exercises, the participants were introduced to design thinking in a way that was engaging and energetic. After a few initial exercises to warm participants up to the design thinking process, individual teams were asked to rethink the McCool Hall atrium. As a central hub for study, socializing, and circulation, this particular architectural feature was a perfect project for the design teams. Each group was asked to explore ways the functionality and experience of the McCool Hall atrium could be improved through a deliberate, controlled design process:

Exploration: The participants were asked to first observe the existing conditions in and around the atrium.. photograph, interview sketch.. Recording and understanding the current experience in a particular place is vital before proposing solutions.

Ideation: Second, the teams began proposed a whole host of possible solutions. From the obvious to the outrageous, “ideating” is a process in which any and all possibilities should be considered, regardless of feasibility.

Experimentation: The final step in the design thinking process is experimentation through “prototyping.” Sketching and building models are essential to the design process. Regardless of accuracy or quality, manifesting ideas in a physical way allows the project team to begin to understand the consequences, both good and bad, of their proposals. Prototyping is meant to be an iterative process. In other words, creating quick models and sketches over and over again eventually leads the project team closer to a solution that is both productive and feasible.

The workshop itself was conducted by Leticia Britos Cavagnaro of Lime Design, a design thinking consultant whose list of clients include Google, Microsoft, and Oracle.

For more information: www. limedesignassociates.com

Design Thinking Workshop organized by:

Chris Monson of the College of Architecture, Art & Design, and Gerald Nelson of the Entrepreneurship Center

Design Thinking Workshop Official Sponsors:

Entrepreneurship Center and Technology Resource Institute, MSU College of Business, and the MSU College of Architecture, Art + Design

–Neil

- Neil