Hope in the city?

Until recently, many social scientists repeated that in 2050 up to 75% of the world's population will live in cities. The emergence of the pandemic caused some people to verify their views on the city as the best space to live, but it is still considered more attractive in terms of access to work, culture, education and health care. Migration movements towards the city will undoubtedly continue to take place and it is necessary to prepare city spaces and urban systems for constant changes and expectations of residents.

One of the tools enabling better coping with changes is design, and in particular systemic and social design, which responds keenly to social challenges. In the 21st century, design has acquired a specific character, its primary feature is the use of a set of interdisciplinary methods and tools. Thanks to their use, it becomes easier to respond to human needs in the most appropriate way.

This approach is increasingly guiding activities in city spaces undertaken by urban activists, designers, representatives of the creative sector, and the authorities themselves. One example of a process in which it was necessary to quickly respond to a large social problem and in which
a design approach was used, it may be the process carried out a few years ago in Cieszyn. The construction of an integrated transfer hub and bus station was underway in the city. This caused major difficulties for travelers using temporary stops located on a narrow street and close to apartment blocks. It was also associated with heavy traffic, noise and exhaust fumes, which the residents protested against. As a result, a conflict broke out between the city's decision-makers who chose this location and the residents. To avert this problem, it was decided to change the temporary bus junction and move it to the parking lot near the Cieszyn Castle. Zamek Cieszyn is a regional design center whose task is to promote design and design methods in creating better quality products and services. In order not to repeat the mistakes made earlier and to ensure the comfort of traveling for residents, it was decided to use design methods and turn the problem into a design challenge.

The project "Human Cities. Challenging the City Scale 2014-2018”, the aim of which was to conduct experimental activities in urban spaces in cooperation with designers.

The basic principle of the adopted work method was observation and following people's needs. Responding to actual expectations increases the chances of building a "human" city in which the voice of residents and their participation are important. Representatives of the Human Cities team from Zamek Cieszyn and designers were involved in the process of organizing the temporary bus station. Representatives of a university (WSB Academy) were also invited, whose students conducted surveys on the demand for local transport. It was valuable to start cooperation with a large group of stakeholders: representatives of local government, transport companies, passengers of different ages and professions, small local businesses, etc. Interviews were conducted with these people, their needs were diagnosed and the role they play in the broadly understood local transport system.

The main design challenge was defined as helping travelers find their way in a situation of chaos, lack of information and comfort resulting from the change in the location of stops. It was assumed that carriers and snack sellers are equally important in the system, and the feeling of comfort is caused by the ability to quickly buy a ticket or read a book while waiting for the bus to arrive.

The first important element of the process was designing visual communication for the temporary station. A new graphic design of the timetable and a temporary city information system were created, taking into account the access to the station for both residents from various districts, people coming from the entire district, and travelers from the nearby Czech Republic. The next step was to take care of the surroundings of the stops. Simple furniture was created, made of recycled materials, allowing both seniors and school groups to relax. In addition to flowers, books appeared at the bus stops, and the bus shelters themselves were covered with graphics presenting people important to the city. The idea was to make a place more "human", one that "says" something about the city, also builds its image, and in which residents and
travelers feel good. The design approach, the effort to take into account people's needs, and simple and low-cost solutions have effectively improved the experience of using the stop. The proof that it was a success was the fact that between stops the travelers even set up a tent in which they spent the night, finding the place pleasant and friendly.

Thanks to extensive cooperation and recognition of human needs, the problem was turned into an opportunity for the city to improve the quality of services offered. The knowledge and experience gained in the presented process have not been lost. They were continued in the later project of a permanent station and a permanent city information system for tourists and residents.

Lubomir Trojan
– cultural anthropologist, associated with the regional design center for over a dozen years
Cieszyn Castle. He specializes in service design and social design, as well as in processes aimed at combining design methods with tradition. Coordinator of service design processes for companies and institutions, conducts workshops and classes in the field of service design and inclusive design, and is a teaching employee of the WSB Academy. Author of expert opinions, strategic documents, studies, popular and scientific articles devoted to, among others, design management, service design, cultural heritage. She is an expert of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development in the area of ​​"Industrial Design" and a member of the Silesian Innovation Council.