The Game Changer
Photo from Unsplash
I recently read a wonderful article by Paula Wallace, who is the President and Founder of Savannah College of Art and Design. S.C.A.D. has a stellar reputation for its arts and design programs and is considered a leading school for these endeavors.
The title of the article was “How Design Makes the World (Measurably) Better”. In it, Ms. Wallace recounts the vision she had over 4 decades ago for the dilapidated former armory in the (then) downtrodden city of Savannah. The revitalization of this building didn’t just have an immediate impact on the institution that was being birthed. The energy that was being directed into the pursuit of restoration, renovation, and rejuvenation not only impacted the buildings’ immediate surroundings, but it impacted the resurgence of life into the city of Savannah itself. As Ms. Wallace states, “Once imposing, the former armory became inviting and encouraged Savannah to see it’s best self”.
I believe with every fiber of my being that design has the ability to transform, for the better, our living experience, as very few other things do. I have seen the way it changes not only buildings but the lives of human beings. When intention goes into improving something it is usually successful and that’s where design begins and ends – it is the tool that can improve one's quality of life. Does war, politics, rape of the natural earth or intrapersonal strife produce anything that improves humanity? I think most would say no. So why do we spend so much of our life’s energy devoted to destruction when the benefits of caring for, and being invested in, the thoughtful design of the world has such a positive impact?
Photo from Unsplash
I was listening to a podcast the other day about the Dollar House Program that was initiated in Baltimore in the 1970s. The idea was to stimulate homesteading into neighborhoods that had been overtaken by urban blight and neglect. Potential applicants were driven around on buses to view scores of abandoned homes that were ripe for renovation. Those that were accepted for the $1 purchase agreed to the city’s stipulations and work began on the design and restoration of these homes. The lucky applicants benefited from the ability to become homeowners but the rewards expanded much further. Once abandoned neighborhoods were now populated with newly renovated and designed homes that were brought back to life and brimmed with a sense of vitality and community. In fact, many of the homesteaders interviewed were still living in their homes decades later and are proud of the impact that this massive design project had on their city. The power of design is undeniable.
We human beings have a symbiotic relationship to our spaces and the things we surround ourselves with, yet so few of us take the time and care to check the health and wellbeing of these things, whether it be a home, a community or a city. Yet, when we do invest in checking in and improving our surroundings through design, something magical happens - life improves! The correlation is so blatant that I am amazed more don’t see it. But the beauty of design is that it impacts everything and every place we go, whether we realize it or not. It can make a space convey messages that make us feel happier and more secure, maybe even loved. Good design can make a hospital feel less cold and sterile, it can make a resort feel luxurious or make a home feel like the safest place on earth.
While many restorative design projects require the help of professionals, the inspiration doesn’t have to. One only needs a desire to improve the quality of their lives or the quality of their communities. Then (good) design comes in and does its thing and suddenly we’re all able to see our best selves.
