(Archive) A Fearless City

Collective and social design actions

A Fearless City is a project that approaches gender-based fear in public spaces through various design applications.

The aim of the project is to strengthen the social position of individuals in an urban environment-also known as empowerment. It also aims to sensitize bystanders and activate them to take a proactive role in the city-this is what I refer to as eyes on the street. The resulting designs stem from the central question, "How can collective and social design actions related to gender-based anxiety play a role in the development of alternative visions of public space?"

Within this project, I focus on the one hand on facilitating conversations. The focus in these "Dialogue centered mediations" is on open conversation in which victims of anxiety can share their experience with others who either share this experience or wish to assist them.
On the other hand, this project focuses on physically taking place in public space. The "object centered interventions" attract attention by exploiting the aesthetic nature of design.

Four designs

The principles of empowerment and eyes on the street are translated through four designs:
A creative making workshop addresses the issue and maps personal experiences in an urban environment.

A flag reflects individual experiences on a broader issue.

A rescue chair mobilizes bystanders and symbolizes a sense of safety and visibility. In addition, the chair is adaptively implementable on existing lampposts and women's experiences can be heard via a megaphone.

An intervention in a night store explores its potential as an "urban safe space. A carpet there allies visitors, manager and designer and through its materiality reflects vulnerability and cringe anxiety.

The project contributes to the sensitization of fear in public space while introducing a 'traveling intervention package': a tool for awareness. Finally, this project combines the aesthetic character and social function of design to highlight social issues in the public sphere. They carry signal functions toward a "Fearless City.