Universal Fukuoka City Design Challenge 2012

In order to convey the ‘Friendly People, Friendly City: Universal Fukuoka City’ approach to the public and promote understanding/implementation of universal design among citizens, a design challenge workshop was organized between 5-7 October 2012.

The theme was ‘Turning Hakata into an Info Hub’. Residents and designers worked together using the progressive ‘Inclusive Design’ approach to explore methods for solving issues as part of Fukuoka’s own ‘Friendly People, Friendly City’ design. The program was directed by international universal design specialist Julia Cassim.

Team A: Health – Hakata Kiten Project
Based on problems faced by visually-impaired design partners and foreigners at Hakata Station, we identified issues related to interpreting and designing ways of providing information and services that cater to diverse users. Two issues at Hakata Station are: (1) not knowing where you are, or how to find interesting, enjoyable places; (2) not knowing what to do if something goes wrong. Through these issues we discovered that the health of a city lies in mobility, interaction and free circulation of people and information; we explored using symbols to identify information hubs and support structures (information/personal support), and creating systems and networks which enable travelers to mix and obtain/share information.

Team B: Lifestyle – Sharing Knowledge: The Ring
How would Hakata Station’s role as an information hub change if each visitor was able to obtain and share live information with others? We designed a system which allows users to ‘stock, browse, and search’ current, first-hand information from members of the public. By making information visual and always available, we provided access to those who don’t know what they are looking for or how to find it. The system enables people to obtain live information constantly circulating around them as it is released by others. Useful information grows and continues circulating. Our proposal is ‘the Ring’ – an information hub with Hakata Station at its center and connected to the surrounding area, enabling the flow of information from all around Hakata.

Team C: Movement – Info-rest “ki”: a space that allows safe, unrushed movement
Many people rush through Hakata Station. Among the large flow of people, foreigners standing to read an information board, or those with disabilities moving at their own pace – these people are treated as though they don’t belong. The key to solving this problem is the relationship between ‘required volume of information’ and ‘movement speed’. In other words, those rushing through (quick users) usually don’t need much information, while those moving slowly (slow users) require more. The answer we came up with is to establish an ‘information forest (ki)’ which enables individuals to move at their own speed. While this proposal is aimed at slow users, it also gives peace of mind to those traveling quickly.

Team D: Disaster Prevention – Hakata Shield: making Hakata City an evacuation shelter
Our design seeks to create a ‘place to go in times of disaster’.
In times of emergency, Hakata Station will become Hakata Shield. Hakata Station has all of the elements required during a disaster – space, information, and people. Our proposal is a ‘shield’ which makes maximum use of all of these components.
– A ‘Shield Area’ icon which continues to make the public aware that Hakata Station is a safe area.
– ‘I’m here’ cards which serve as a tool for confirming/sharing one’s location. Information about wellbeing is efficiently shared by using a standard format with station checkpoints.
– ‘Ranger Bibs’ for shield persons who can be relied upon for assistance to avoid panic. The system will clearly identify who to turn to in an emergency, and who can do what.

For details
Universal Fukuoka City Design Challenge 2012