Ice Breaker: In Search of My Design Philosophy
Is a city just a collection of buildings? Or is it a living stage that contains people’s lives and experiences? A city is not just a space composed of structures but includes the stories and history of the people living there. We experience small moments in our daily lives, interact with different people, and make new relationships. A city is the background and stage of our lives and where vital moments occur. That is why architecture cannot be defined as a simple study. Architecture is a field in which various disciplines, such as humanities, sociology, psychology, and environmental sciences, are connected and related. I majored in architectural design in college and worked on projects of various sizes and characteristics in architectural design offices for many years. I realized that architectural design meant more than just designing structures. Architecture is essential to reflecting people’s lives and creating a human-centred environment that interacts with cities. From this perspective, I felt that architecture should lead to creating space for people who consider both publicity and functionality in the urban context.
“A good city is one where people feel inclined to walk, stop and talk, and find pleasure in the public spaces.”
Jan Gel’s City for People (2010) perfectly represent his philosophy that urban design should prioritize people over buildings. Gel emphasizes that these factors are critical to significantly improving people’s quality of life and that cities should be designed to promote human interaction. I have participated in an underdeveloped urban redevelopment project in Korea. At this time, I could experience indirectly how Gel’s principle could be applied to practice. This project required an in-depth analysis of why residents left the area and a comprehensive understanding of their way of life, which required creating a space for residents to return and rebuild their lives. These experiences reinforced my belief in the importance of human-centred urban design, which genuinely sympathizes with the community’s needs and forms a strong sense of belonging and connection among residents. To be honest, the approach in an urban context was not easy for me, who previously focused on studying and working on architectural design. However, it was an opportunity to learn a lot through communication with local public institutions, communities, and residents. After the project was over, I felt that I needed more interest in urban design, and the urban design class through the MArch course now gives me a lot of expectations.
As a result, through various experiences and thought processes, I have become convinced that architecture and urban design can lead the development of the whole city through people-centred design beyond simple space composition. Urban design classes will be essential in materializing these visions and developing them into feasible plans. Through this, I can get a theoretical basis, practical ideas, and insights that can be applied to actual projects. In future projects and research, this vision will be a strong motivation for me, and I will constantly try to improve the quality of people’s lives and create spaces that can have a positive impact on the community.
List of References
Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for People. London.
