Walking the walk

This studio explored the idea that: ‘The only way to have a safe city is to have people walking the street. This factor alone allows people to watch and watch out for each other.’ (Careri, Francesco. Walkscapes 2012)

Place-based and process-driven, the studio considered individual, personal, political, social, and environmental benefits of walking. Reimagining suburban housing and streetscapes for safe walking was the studio’s primary focus, with one aim being equal access to public spaces.

Responding to current barriers to walking within the locationally disadvantaged suburb of Whittington 3219, speculative design propositions for ways to support getting more people walking in the neighbourhood included: increasing housing density along walking pathways; interventions and adaptive reuse of existing Public Housing dwellings including activating front facades, fences, and front yards; and public space upgrades and place making for healthy footpaths.

Studio production expanded upon the theme that architectural form should not only be responsive to use but could promote behavioural change. Housing and streetscape design outcomes identified the potential of semi-public spaces to nurture acts of community and agency. Design for new social space and increased social engagement foregrounded community resilience and identified opportunities for collective action in response to climate change impacts.