Open your space: A design activism initiative in Chinese urban community

Abstract

This paper presents a recent design activism initiative named Open Your Space in Chinese urban context. The project aims to help the urban community acquire a better sense of sustainability, comfortability, and accessibility to public space. It draws on the relationship between design factors and socially motivated ideas as well as to explore and practice how design activism shapes the public realm to maximize shared value and catalysis in the built environment. The practice investigates the definitions of public space across disciplines and tools, tactics and consequences of reclaiming. Open Your Space project focuses on moving beyond design activism as a curiosity, to make a conscious effort to work toward a social and culture stance, to develop solutions through incremental steps. Design activism as main factor of DesignX approach is needed in social change, is a response to cultural conditions, policymaking, economic practices, social engagement and environmental challenges.