THE SOCIAL COMMONS PROJECT

The Social Commons Project explores the uneven distribution of social infrastructure in cities, equipping the public with tools to help better understand, identify, and co-produce design solutions that address social inequalities. Commonly referred to as public spaces, social infrastructures are the physical places in which we build social networks and grow as individuals, and as communities.  They play a critical, yet underappreciated role in our modern societies.

This body of work is a contribution to the discourses on evidence-based and human-centered design and proposes actionable opportunities for social impact. Through geo-spatial mapping in select North American cities, the correlation between social vulnerability and social infrastructure is detected, illustrating systemic inequalities, and highlighting areas for community improvement. These visualizations enforce the idea that what we build is just as important as where we build it.

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The project provides a platform for citizens, city officials, and designers to discuss and co-produce possible futures for public spaces in cities. These co-produced design possibilities will be economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. The work advocates for small scale development as an alternative to large capital projects, this initiative would allow social infrastructure to be implemented where, and when, it is needed. Finally, this project presents the notion that quality design can not only be affordable, but environmentally positive and socially impactful.