Toronto celebrates cultural diversity but how can we prevent people from being marginalized in our growing city?
We developed creative solutions for neighborhood public spaces that bring people together.
Background
For 10 days in June, Toronto’s stages, streets, and public spaces come to life during Luminato, Festival of Arts & Creativity. Luminato asked OpenCity Projects to explore communication as part of a larger theme for the 2009 Festival. In partnership with OCAD University, we turned the classroom into a creative lab and worked with 3rd year design students. Our challenge was to identify communications gaps that exist in Toronto between demographics, socio-economic groups and cultural communities.
Research and Community Engagement
• Desk research to learn about urban settings, such as demographics and history
• Site visits to observe people’s behaviour in public spaces
• One-on-one interviews with relevant stakeholders including residents, commuters, tourists and students who use the selected public space
• Personas representing fictional portraits of interviewees
• Map of stakeholders’ experiences to help pinpoint opportunity areas
Design
Based on our insights, we identified communication gaps between Toronto’s many different cultures, communities and demographics.Design solutions were developed including objects, spaces, signage or rituals. These “icebreakers” serve as interfaces to connect people and promote social interaction.
An installation showcasing our work, titled Icebreakers – Creating Common Ground by Design, was exhibited at Luminato on opening day as well as at XPACE Cultural Centre.
