DRS2012 Bangkok Proceedings Vol 4 - Design Research Society

1966 Conference Proceedings
Sandra Viña
locality and participation. Figure 4 shows a mural made of broken tiles. Here, the topic
identifies the heritage of the indigenous people; the national folklore by showing the
folklore dance and its instruments of music; the national flora and fauna. The topic in
figure 5 originates from the habitat and culture of indigenous people, which is the 2,3% of
the population of Venezuela. The theme tries to state that indigenous knowledge is of
great value for the cultural heritage of the country.
Figure 4 Mosaic about cultural heritage. Figure 5 Graffiti about indigenous
Caracas, Venezuela people. Caracas, Venezuela
Source: Sandra Viña (2011) Source: Sandra Viña (2011)
The Design Intervention
The objective or role of a design intervention in the urban space varies, there are design
interventions that aim to understand an area, context or neighborhood; promote new
approaches to the construction of the city and urban revitalization; or, introduce new
products, services, uses and experiences to the public realm. Design interventions in city
places also serve as experiments for academic research: to study new opportunities for
the development of the city, to design in collaboration with various stakeholders and, to
envision services, approaches and places for the city. The role of interventions also
behaves as a documentation tool, as an artifact that drives public opinions and desires;
as a vehicle for introducing (design) ideas in and for public places; and as a facilitator of
place making.
Figure 6 shows a design intervention in the district of Espoo, Finland. The intervention
was designed and produced by a design researcher under the framework of a research
program about urban regeneration and metro environments based on the identity of
place. The aim of the design intervention was to identify the character and essence of the
place through participatory approaches in order to create alternative concepts for future
metro environments. The design intervention served to find out the current identity of the
neighborhood; study aspects about local and nearby services, and the image people
have about their locality in comparison to nearby neighborhoods. The outcome of the
design intervention also helped the research team and designers to understand the
image residents wish to have, and functions they require.