Phase 1: Jane's Summary

I’m personally interested in the public gathering areas of the town. During the trip I’m looking forward to observing people in the markets, public squares and walkways. I would like to investigate how a tourist would navigate the town, and see the monuments and attractions the locals deem intrinsic to their culture and identity. I have to do further research on current tourism statistics for the area such as the age range, distance travelled, and how long they expect to stay in the town on average.

One piece of information we’ve gotten from IwB is the main plaza is beautiful but empty. I’m curious about this under utilization of space, and would like to see if there are design opportunities that would invite people to spend time in the plaza. This could be through some sort of interactive feature, different street furniture, or possibly something that would be family friendly and encourage families to make the plaza a destination for fun. The plaza is a historical marker for the town, and would be of interest to tourists as well as locals interested in learning about the heritage of the area.

Through the research I did for our group report I’ve gained a greater understanding of the network of attractions required to hold the interest of a tourist. Navigation between the sites must be considered just as much as the sites themselves.

Phase 1: Group Summary

Lota is in the initial stages of refocusing their economy from an industrial economy, reliant on coal mining, to a service and tourism-based economy. This presents opportunity for industrial design to assist the town in this goal by giving the local stakeholders tools that will facilitate sustainable tourist development in the area.  Additional opportunities can be found in developing products that will assist the community rebuild after a natural disaster has occurred, such as the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that happened in February 2010.

The group is keen to get to Chile and explore the town and get a clear sense of the culture and heritage. By acknowledging that the group will be outsiders during the trip, some members have chosen to focus on the public spaces that will be of interest to tourists. Other members are keeping with the theme of tourism, but interested in investigating the role art plays in the community. Another opportunity has been identified in response to the issue of natural disaster, and hopes to deal with the basic needs of the citizens.

The research done leading up to the trip will enable each member of the group to see and identify their own design opportunity, as well as collect any relevant data in the brief time available. However, since the time is so limited, as much preparation as possible will be done before arrival in Lota. This includes making any materials required for data collection and analysis, such as creating journals, collage materials, and getting materials translated to Spanish.

Video Conference and Meeting - Identifying Themes

Group: Lota Renovación + IWB
Agenda: Identify project themes, appropriate research methods, case study research
Location: 4th year studio + ID electronics lab
Date: September 16th, 2010
Starting and Ending Time: 12:30pm - 6:00pm

To narrow down our research, we have isolated several themes, based on:
Public vs Private and Physiological vs Community Actualization

• What are the daily rituals around meal preparation or personal hygiene?
• What are some meaningful places and artifacts in their homes?

Public Spaces. For example, Case Studies of different communities that were able to revitalize cultural centres and turn stagnant industries into artefacts and sources of knowledge. Potential cultural sites in Lota include:

• Teatro Lota
• El Chiflon del Diablo
• Hydroelectric Plant

Physiological. For example, Case studies of communities able to rebuild themselves after collapse of local industry or a natural catastrophe. Questions to ask:

• What is the potential for the development of a local industry on a national level?
• What are the issues of housing and meeting of basic needs, such as sanitation and food storage?

Community Actualization. For example, Case studies of communities able to rebrand themselves after collapse of local industry or a natural catastrophe. Questions to ask:

• What are potentials for attracting tourism to such communities? Art, Culture, Nature, Knowledge.
• How to instill pride into a community and stimulate participation? Sports, Unions.

Agenda:

Prepare a case study document for IWB group by Tuesday, September 21st.