1.2 Reading
Using Parametric Methods to Understand Place in Urban Design Courses
The phrase “quantifiably measuring experience” in the article titled, Using Parametric Methods to Understand Place in Urban Design Courses really stood out to me. My own experiences of site data analysis have mostly been from beginning a new studio projects and spending an afternoon walking around a site. Typically, many photographs are taken, and notes and sketches are jotted down in a sketchbook. This method is an example of a traditional information collection style that many have used for a long time. However, technology is advancing, and data gathering should too. The same article argues that by utilizing parametric methods to understand spaces students can more successfully incorporate qualitative and quantitative data into their research. Ultimately, they can have a better comprehensive understanding of their project sites.
Data dimension: accessing urban data and making it accessible
It is important to acknowledge the unavoidable issues with data creation. Students must be mindful of data ownership and privacy, appropriation of data, social context, and inherent biases. The article, Data Dimension, explains that data can be gathered nearly everywhere, but it is our job as responsible students to be mindful of these inherent concerns.
Social ‘Coding:’ Urban Processes and Socio-Computational Workflow
This article explained how the city is essentially a system of related processes. Data collection and research helps us obtain a stronger sense of these processes and their connections to each other. Presentation of the data through Rhino and Grasshopper showcase that each design element in a diagram relates back to the data. For example; color, line thickness and heights are all related to the information gathered about the research topics. This really emphasized the importance of attention to detail when creating visual diagrams of data.
Food, Time and Space: Mobile Cuisine in New York and Portland
Students should look to projects like the Food, Space, and Time Study to creatively display research and data. After reading these papers I have a stronger awareness of the benefits of parametric data collection methods. I look forward to maximizing these research tools in my own studies. I believe that this will enable me to have an enhanced comprehension of human behaviors and problems, and lead to better designed solutions.