Avital Glibicky
JOURNEY TO
CO-DESIGN WITH THE UNHOUSED COMMUNITY OF SANTA CRUZ, CA
INTERACTIVE JOURNEY LINK
TARGET AUDIENCE
Designers, Community Organizers, Non-profit Organizations
BACKGROUND
Designers carry a responsibility to critique their own process and be held accountable by community members they are designing for. Effectively, the focus on the process, tools, and methodologies carried out in co-design hold far greater importance than any polished final product.
DESIGN PROBLEM
The covid-19 pandemic illuminated the long-standing consequences of city policies, income inequality, and gentrification. These factors put Unhoused individuals at a heightened risk of infection, and assistance systems are struggling to keep up with demand and be incorporated sufficiently into community-level public health and economic recovery activities.
It is important to address the net power imbalance between designers and the communities we are working to co-design with.
DESIGN SOLUTION
By critiquing their process, designers can break down the methodologies that reinforce the current societal hierarchy and fight against the erasure of unhoused communities. Thereby, designers must delve deeper into complex social issues to create empowering lasting outcomes by decentering themselves in these conversations. Working with unhoused community members can provide insights into the specific needs, goals, and values of those community members. Furthermore, co-creating with the unhoused and relinquishing power to them will drive change and ultimately open full access to power instead of perpetuating an oppressive system that holds control in the hands of designers.
SOFTWARE
Illustrator | InDesign | Photoshop
A Guide to Working in Homeless Spaces Instagram Story Series
A Zine for Working in Homeless Spaces
Final Thesis Book
Co-Designed Animation with Unhoused Resident Dylan
The Advocate’s Guide to the Streets
Data and information gathered from Facebook Homeless Advocacy Groups. An opening to the various possibilities and documentations of the real-life experiences of unhoused communities.
