Enabling Sustainable Behavior | Interventions in Public Space

Abstract

It is evident that environmental degradation is a result of human behavior. Rapid urbanization is cause for concern, yet cities may act as hubs of innovation. The way people live is directly related to the built environment. Understanding socialization within the city and the joint built-natural environment is crucial to a sustainable functioning city. Therefore, can small interventions, such as objects in public space, nurture sustainable behavior? This paper explores ideas of sustainability and the role of the designer. This work will examine the role of the object within public space, exploring our relationship with objects, and how public space acts as a medium. I will also explore how improving everyday experience, through objects within the urban landscape, can ultimately influence sustainable behavior. This dissertation argues that interventions of bicycle sharing programs and kinetic interactive public lighting are two examples where small objects facilitate pro-sustainable behavior in users.