Improving Options
Heterogeneous Practices of Participatory Design: An Exploration of Socio-cultural Aspects in Participatory Design Practices in a Low-income Community in Bangkok, Thailand
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Khemmiga Teerapong
Participatory design is a well-recognised approach invented around European countries since the 1960s. The origin of is associated with a democratic approach in design process and often linked to social, political, and civil right movements. In the past fifty years, participatory design has grown and flourished in Western societies where voices and opinions are most likely to be taken into account. Design researchers worldwide have studied participatory design based on this Western perspective. However, when it is employed in community development studies in developing countries, its practice inevitably touches upon cultural differences. With respect to social and cultural contexts, design practitioners and researchers need, therefore, to realise nuances of heterogeneous practices of participatory design. This paper explores socio-cultural aspects in participatory design practices in low-income community in Bangkok, Thailand. One project conducted on packaging design for local-made products is chosen. This is to examine missing dimensions relating to Thai culture that are different from the Western frameworks. As outward expressions and disagreements are not common in Thai culture, it seems difficult to understand the local residents’ essential needs and work on the participatory design project. This study has found that socio-cultural aspects such as social status, micro politics, reciprocity, and seniority have some influences on the Participatory Design practices. This paper also points out some major concerns by which participatory design practitioners and researchers should consider when working with community-based projects in Thailand and probably in other areas in Southeast Asia.
Rethinking Affordable Row House Design for Multi-generational Lower Middle-income Family in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Bangkok, Thailand
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Boonanan Natakun, Nichaporn Suchai
The phenomenon of urbanization has shifted Bangkokians to live in limited spaces. Middle-income nuclear families generally choose to live individually in either small condominium units in the city centre or small detached houses in suburban areas with relatively no care for their neighbours. Lower middle-income families, on the other hand, tend to live in Bangkok periphery with their relatives sharing limited resources for basic living such as food, houses, and finances. This research studies typical suburban Bangkok’s row house design housing lower middle-income families and aims to investigate how these families modify living spaces for supporting their living culture and lifestyles. By employing in-depth interviews, physical trace, and spatial configuration analysis, this research has found that lower middle income families optimize uses of their row houses for two main reasons. First, they maximize uses of limited spaces to house extend family members as the way in which multi generations take good and close care for each other. This reflects a return of a traditional Thai reciprocal living culture that elderly helps raising grandchildren while working ages work and take care of the elderly in return. Second, income-generating activities can be held at home with minimal labour costs due to the fact that family members have to contribute some ways to house owners. With respect to minimal building cost shown in a small land plot and habitable space, this research suggests a redesign of row houses to better serve multi-generational lower middle income families in Thai social context.
Exploring the Universal Mobile Collection Point with Older Persons in Aging City: A Qualitative Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Alex Pui Yuk King
A recycling campaign has been launching over the past decade in Hong Kong. It is successful and the public has recognized that recycling is a major issue before waste disposal from household. According to the Environment Protection Department, source separation of domestic waste is one of the key factors to drive recycling so as to reduce the loading of landfills. According to the government report, plastic waste contributes to about 19% of the total municipal solid wastes in Hong Kong in 2011. From the view point of the recycling industry, recycled plastic materials are of high value only if they are collected in already sorted and processed types.The aim of the present research is to explore the possibility of mobile collection points to motivate the general public to achieve active recycling. Respective stakeholders including young adults, older persons, representatives of recyclers, and design practitioners have been invited to participate in the iterative design process. Ultimately, the preliminary design direction with improved usability will be visualized and manufactured by the local wood recycler as the existing practice is obviously not inviting and not user-friendly at all. The present research adopts participatory design approach involving older persons followed by an in-depth interview. New design offers a flexible solution for the operators to have size adjustment on each of the recycling boxes fitting the needs of nineteen districts in Hong Kong and will be launched in the first quarter of 2019.
