Dear John Linn

I addressed my postcard to John Linn, who spoke about the 2030 Challenge. I was mainly interested in how Historic Preservation could be incorporated into this challenge, so much so, that I'm turning it into a preservation brief for the semester.

Precis - Tying up loose ends

Time for reflection: the Shelter/Bus/Shelter project charrettes seem to be winding down (for now). These precis help to give a visual tour of the last couple weeks work.

Actual Guerilla Marketing - Communicate

Drawn by Sara Zales
Drawn by BrittanyDasso
Designed by Katrina Fischer
Drawn by Sara Zales
Designed by Lauren Shepulski

Guerilla Marketing - Communicate

You can't change the world if no one knows about it.We need to get the word out about IARC and what we do here, but we don't have a marketing team, or much money, so guerrilla marketing is our best bet and it looks like fun.Guerrilla Marketing is defined as any of a number of unconventional methods of marketing with minimal resources for maximum results; any marketing campaign that uses non-mainstream tactics and locations (Webster's Dictionary for the New Millennium.)
After an hour of so of brain storming my group of four came up with six workable ideas:

Crosswalk lights. (Printed) We want to put stickers with our web address on the button you push to get a walk signal. The sticker will look like a computer cursor clicking on our address to remind people every time they click the button to get a walk signal to also click to see what we're doing.
Trash cans. (Product) But not your average trash cans. Ours don't work. The top does not swing open. The lid will say, "What if design didn't function?" and direct the user to our blog.
All Tied Up! (Scandal) We want to tie mannequins or blow up dolls to light posts near bus stops with a sign reading, "Having trouble getting around? Try GTA!" We'll put up a link to our Bus/Shelter Shelter/Bus blogs and to the GTA.
Art Show. (People) Tate Street Coffee is within itself a community of very creative people. There are ever-changing art exhibits there and we think if we can fill it with IARCers work we can get noticed.
A scavenger hunt. (Places) No, we're not talking about a list and a bunch of people scurrying around looking for paper clips and men named Bob. We envision something more subtle. We're thinking small scale numbered Minerva statues holding clues to finding out what the IARC department is doing scattered around town.

Codes (+) Modifications to our Shelters/Busses

Through our investigation of codes, ergonomics, and proxemics, we found several shortcoming in our Bus/Shelter and Shelter/Bus projects. Most of these problems had to do with handicap accessibility and cramped space. This diagram shows the necessary codes that apply to the shower bus model. To check out all three of the Fantastic Fours Diagrams and essay, please go to the Fantastic Fours Blog.

Container - Shelter/Bus Model

Container - Shelter/Bus

Natural Disasters affect thousands of people every year both psychologically and physically. These victims have countless needs depending on the type and severity of the disaster. In this charrette, we listed 10 needs of hurricane victims, and chose two of these needs to address through design. Our group chose Communication and Showers.

Client - Bus/Shelter : Shelter/Bus

Part 1 of this charrette was to interview 2 people on the bus or at the station, to find out the
'who?when?where?why?howoften?' questions. Part 2 addressed the issue of disaster relief victims. We chose clients that have survived natural disasters in recent history and to design something that would help prevent, deter, or help afterwards. Our group chose the California Wildfires in June 2008. These fires were started by dry conditions and over 8000 lightning strikes. Our group addressed fire prevention, relief during the fire, and reforestation.

A Study in Light and Space

Pre(c)edent - Elements of a Bus Shelter

Postcard for Jenny Page

Context - The Three R's

There are many different experiences to be had on public transportation. They are dependent on where you are going, who you are with, and what time you ride. A ride with a friend, midday in the downtown sector, will inherently be very different from a ride alone at night through a more rundown route. When we were given this assignment, I really wanted to keep this in mind. I originally wanted to choose a route through a more depressed area of Greensboro both during the day and at night, to analyze the differences in the people that ride and the general atmosphere, and to try and pinpoint what are the key contributing factors to the difference. My actual experience turned out a bit different.

A friend and I picked up the bus at Spring Garden and Tate around 9:00 pm. Our original intentions were to ride the bus to the Four Seasons Shopping Center, where we had parked another car. I have used public transportation in the past, whether it was getting around D.C, Fredericksburg, or Bologna. I felt pretty confident in my abilities to read maps, and take in my surroundings. In general, the bus was very quiet and indifferent. The passengers looked very tired after a long day. Laura and I were the only two white people on the bus the entire time. Most of the people had take out containers, and the bus itself had smudgy finger prints on the windows and graffiti on the seats. The stops went through mostly lower income areas and the highway.

It was interesting to notice which stops people were getting off at. I half expected a mass of people to get off in one major location, but the opposite was true. People dribbled off the bus at remote stops along the highway, making me wonder where they actually lived and how far they were walking to catch the bus at 9:40 at night. I also noticed a high ratio of young mothers with their infants and toddlers on the bus.

Two things really stuck out for me. Number one was the fact that the bus made me very car sick, which does not seem like it should be a key moment, but it was. If I had to take the bus everyday, getting carsick every time wouldn’t matter, because it would have to be something that I had to deal with. Instead, it was something that I ended up focusing on because I have alternate transportation. It is a luxury that I can even complain about it. Many of the people that I saw on the bus didn’t have an option, they are playing with the cards dealt to them.

The second thing was the fact that Laura and I missed our stop. Like I said before, I have ridden public transportation before, and did not consider myself unversed in bus etiquette. I was under the assumption that the bus stopped at every stop. Maybe in the past, someone pulled the cord at just the right time that I needed it, but in this particular case, we did not pull the cord. We watched our stop out the back window as the bus continued down the highway. The fact that we ended up riding the rest of the loop is pretty funny in retrospect, but it really gets to a deeper issue. I evidently do not know as much as I think I do.

The demographics on the bus pointed to lower income families. Laura and I were the only two white people on the bus the entire ride, but it was the two college girls who didn’t know to pull the string. The concept of knowledge is different for different people in different situations. With this information in mind, we decided to call it a night after riding the bus for an hour. We also decided that riding the day route the next day was not feasible for us, due to time restrictions.

The next day I did the reading. I honestly had no idea until earlier today that Greensboro was such a hotbed for racial and social unrest. I vaguely remembered that the sit-ins started here, but the article gave breath and depth the issue. The article communicated that individuals really can make a different and to truly believe in the power of students. This reading helped me to think about the bus in a different way. First, it’s important to understand the history of a place before you try to assimilate yourself into a community. You cannot step onto a bus and be the only white person who is still holding the keys to their car, is taking notes on other occupants and snapping pictures of bus signs, and not expect to get some nasty looks from the other passengers. Also looking at the situation from the perspective of a design student, understanding the history of a place is a key element in understanding what would be best for a community. In reference to the article the author said that one of the reasons that Zane’s campaign failed was because he only worked within a traditional framework to solve a problem. As design students, it is best for us and the community to think outside the box, and outside the bus, to create smarter design.

Crash Course in Drafting - The First Week

As the second week of school begins, let's take a minute to look back and assess the first week and breathe a sigh of relief that it's over and we emerged unscathed, for the most part.

I should begin by saying that this is my first year at UNCG and in the IARC department. I am a first year graduate student focusing on Historic Preservation. I graduated in May from the University of Mary Washington with an undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation. I chose to come to UNCG because I really want to design for the adaptive reuse of industrial structures and barns.

While that's all fine and dandy, I could not be happier that the first week is over. My apparent 'Crash Course in Drafting' was hectic and frustrating, because I have never taken a drawing class until I came to UNCG. Now I don’t want to seem like I am complaining. While there may have been excessive nail biting, pacing, and living in a haze of confusion, there were plenty of good things that came out of last week. I have made friends with my very tiny drafting desk and we are now on good terms. I completed two of my first drafting projects, and survived a group project with 60 people. I’m feeling more comfortable drawing, and best of all, I have met some really nice people.

The ‘Crash Course’ also helped me to realize several things: that it’s going to be really hard work, but that it will definitely be worth it. I have realized that there is never a time to be too proud to ask for help, everyone is a resource; everyone is in the same situation in one way, shape or form. And the best realization: its going to be a great year. There’s a lot to learn, but the payoff will be great. Good luck to all, looking forward to working with you!

~Lauren Shepulski