Abstract

The practice of human/community-centered design has been a central focus for academics, practitioners, and various stakeholders since the early 1960s; however, a disconnect still exists between commercial development processes and placemaking. This article approaches the concept of placemaking through the nomenclature of American sociologist Ray Oldenburg—referring to spaces as “first,” “second,” and “third places”—environments for living, working, and socializing, respectively. In this article, we categorize Oldenburg’s terminology as “ordinal places” (OPs) for ease of reference. The boundaries between these OPs have become increasingly tenuous over the past three decades, calling for new, innovative methods of placemaking. As a response, this article introduces the “SCAAA Process,” an integrated research, spatial development, and design process developed by the global architecture firm SCAAA. The process provides a bridge between siloed zoning processes and human-centered design; furthermore, it serves as a medium between intangible human needs and physical space, finding a way to express society’s changing preferences through operational and architectural design. In the discussion of the SCAAA Process, we posit the emergence of a hybrid second and third place in contemporary society, outline the necessary integration of artificial intelligence technology in the design and building processes, and highlight the centrality of circulation and user experience design in successful placemaking.