What Is This Website For?

This website serves as a design and research toolkit for rural community members wanting to improve local economic conditions. While there are many traditional processes of rural economic development, this speculative approach focuses on the relationships between people, the built environment, and technology.

This website applies human-centered research methods for data collection. For example, cross-cultural video-based content analysis is the process of analyzing video recordings as a source of qualitative data. This builds on the strategy of naturalistic observation, providing the opportunity to observe conditions and interactions within the built environment without influence.

These observations are synthesized into design documentation across three scales: the neighborhood, the street, and the building. Design documentation also takes spatiotemporal elements into consideration.

Design Pattern: Visual Breaks between Merchant Spaces Integrated with Transportation Infrastructure

For merchant spaces that are underneath transportation infrastructure it is important to have visual breaks or else it becomes too long.

This design patterns focuses on continuous merchant spaces underneath transportation infrastructure. In this pattern, commuter trains are above the merchant spaces, however, if it is continuous it begins to erode the pedestrian scale.

Design Pattern: Vending machine Facade Integration

Vending machines are integrated into building facades.

This design pattern places vending machines secondary to pedestrian walkways. In some instances, there are stand alone vending machines, however, the vending machines located on pedestrian walkways are out of the path.

Design Pattern: Upper Story Setbacks

In some instances, buildings taller the three stories feature setbacks for additional stories to maintain people scale.

This design pattern focuses on buildings that are three or more stories tall. If a building is above three stories, the additional stories above this threshold are moved back from the main façade. This occurs on streets where the vehicle traffic is not substantial.

Design Pattern: Trash Collection Visibility

Trash collection remains out of site to promote cleanliness.

This design pattern focuses on removing trash collection from pedestrian areas. In addition, trash collection occurs overnight or early in the morning. This approach to removing trash collection may or may not be successful due to the culture of the area.