Dear all
As a silent reader of this list, with very little time to contribute, this
time I might add a little information on this very interesting topic;
specifically the Design Policy Partnership, a collaboration between two
research groups at Shefield Hallam and Salford Universities have recently
undertaken a major study of the use of Design in combatting Crime and have
researched 30 Case studies where the intervention of design thinking and
development reduced or prevented crime. These will be published by the
Design Council and are being used in high school and tertiary education.
Rachel Cooper
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Scrivener" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 10:43 AM
Subject: Re: Design and future needs
> All
>
> I'm trying to follow this thread. I too am confused as to whether Jean
> is interested in design which is intentional social engineering and
> design which, as it were, accidentally shapes society.
>
> The thread contains examples of both.
>
> A few more examples of each. I recall, perhaps erroneously, a
> presentation by the sociologist John Bowers, in which he argued that the
> Paris Metro, then publicly owned, was designed with a different gauge of
> rail to the then privately owned land railway system thus making it more
> difficult for the system to fall into private ownership because the land
> trains could not enter the metro system.
>
> The relationship between crime and technological development is very
> interesting. For example, the sex industry has always been amongst the
> first to exploit new technology. It was quick for example to exploit the
> telephone and the term "call girl" apparently originates from the early
> use of the telephone as a medium for making appointments. I bet
> Alexander Bell didn't conceive of the telephone shaping culture in this
> way. Also, just look at cultural impact that the mobile phone is having,
> for example, on language and the way that young people now communicate.
>
> Any way, if Jean intends to produce a paper or something, I for one
> would be very interested in receiving a copy.
>
> Steve
>
>
>
> Nicola Morelli wrote:
> >
> > I'm re-posting a message I accidentally sent only to Lubomir
> >
> > HI all,
> > I didn't quite understand whether jean's request is about examples in
which someone (designer or not) DELIBERATELY managed to change society or
examples in which products shaped societies and cultural systems. I
understand that some of those who answered to Jean's request refer to the
second interpretation (technology shaping society), while I was trying to
think of a possible answer to the first interpretatino (designers
deliberately shaping society through technology). I can't find, at the
moment examples in this direction, while the debate of technology shaping
society (I mean unintentionally or quasi-unintentionally) is long and
complex and would probably include questions about society shaping
technology (on which several books have been written, especially in the area
of the social construction of technology).
> > I can add an example of technology shaping society (and viceversa): how
many products and technological innovations have contributed to the
development of new ways of working? A deliberate trial to use information
technology to shape the way we work was based on telework. Although the
prediction about a widespread diffusion of telework in western countries did
not eventuate, there are several new work arrangement that are based on an
intense use of information technology. For instance a lot of people can now
work from any location, using the Internet to create connection with their
original workplace. In this case was technology shaping society? or, on the
contrary it was society shaping technology (because people did not like
telework, but they did like to work while travelling, therefore the demand
for laptop and other related facilities increased)?
> > Cheers
> > Nicola
> >
> > Dr Nicola Morelli
> > Centre for Design at RMIT University
> > GPOBox 2476V Melbourne Victoria 3001
> >
> > Web: http://users.tce.rmit.edu.au/e07643
>
> --
> Professor Stephen AR Scrivener
> VIDE Research Centre
> Design Institute
> School of Art and Design
> Coventry University
> Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK
> Tel: +44 (0)24 7688 7477
> Fax: +44 (0)24 7688 7759
> Mobile: +44 (0)7789 590 228
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
|