2020 Research Prize
Public Space and Scrutiny: Examining Urban Monuments through Social Psychology

With fewer than one in five new architects identifying as racial or ethnic minorities, our profession has some catching up to do if we intend to reflect the public for whom urban spaces are designed. [1] This project proposes a study of existing public spaces, monuments, and memorials through the lens of social psychology in order to establish a broader frame of reference for future design. Specifically, we will employ an interdisciplinary approach to investigate community members’ reactions (e.g,. stress, positive/negative associations, value judgments, perceptions of discrimination, inclusion, empowerment) to experiencing public spaces and monuments that memorialize contentious historical figures and events. Using a community-based participatory action approach (e.g., focus groups, videovoice study, survey study), we will identify elements of design (e.g., scale, materiality, tactility, abstraction, figuration, symbolism, color) that contribute to the general public’s perceptions of public spaces and monuments. This work will serve as a reference guide of case studies for the design profession as well as generate the framework for an advanced architecture research studio that examines strategies to bridge the gap between the architects and the general public, specifically when designing for urban spaces marked by racial injustice. As we work to teach values of design that build a more sustainable and equitable future, projects such as this can help both students and professionals in our discipline gain a deeper understanding of and commitment to the relationship between design and social justice.

There are many examples of governing bodies that have made decisions about removing or renaming contentious public spaces, monuments, or symbols. [2] While the processes have varied, a review of documented examples suggests that some decisions are made based on a perceived incompatibility between the initial intent of an institution and current institutional values. Although conversations surrounding public memory and social justice are at the forefront of architectural pedagogy and practice, very little of the empirical work on recontextualizing these public spaces has included the voice of designers or members of the communities in which these spaces/monuments exist. This project aims to equip architects with community voices when searching for equity and truth in our collective forms of commemoration. Through the methodology of social psychology, we propose to conduct a study of existing public spaces, monuments, and memorials in order better understand community members’ perceptions of and experiences with public spaces and monuments. By using a community-based participatory action research design (CBPAR) including a Focus Group Study, a photo/videovoice project, and a virtual study of those in the design profession, we aim to collect, analyze, and parse the perceptions of participants and catalog possible prevailing reactions to elements of design. [3] These may include attitudes toward figural versus abstract representations, material choices, associations with symbols, colors, etc. In order to better understand our discipline’s perceptions of and experiences with public spaces and monuments, we plan to create a grounded study for designers (architecture students and professionals) based on subject matter determined by focus groups. The primary aim of the focus group is to collect data on community members’ perceptions of public spaces/monuments to aid us in designing subsequent community-informed surveys. Each focus group will be facilitated, transcribed, and coded by trained research assistants from Dr. Lisa Molix’s social psychology laboratory. [4]

This project will engage Tulane University students through coursework in two phases: 1) a Fall semester interdisciplinary research seminar that coregisters upper-level students from both the department of architecture and department of psychology, and 2) a Spring semester advanced architecture design studio informed by the findings of the research seminar. The design studio will use frameworks defined by our data in order to speculate on strategies, tactics, approaches to the design of public spaces in New Orleans laden with racial histories. Publication and exhibition of this work will be designed by the research studio students and feature community participants’ photo/videovoice project results. By inviting the participants to contribute their individual voices or perspectives with the architectural educators, design professionals, and the public, we aim to empower both designers and nondesigners with a sense of agency through collaboration. We will produce a booklet showcasing the research findings, speculative design proposals, and exhibition content of this project. Our intention is to make the publication available through the New Orleans AIA Design Center as a reference guide of case studies to advance the dialog between the university, the design profession, and the communities we serve.

Notes

[1] “NCARB 2020 Demographics,” NCARB, accessed January 8, 2021, https://www.ncarb.org/nbtn2020/demographics.

[2] See Anna Croegaert, “Architectures of Pain: Racism and Monuments Removal Activism in the ‘New’ New Orleans,” City & Society 32, no. 3 (December 2020); Richard Fausset, “Tempers Flare Over Removal of Confederate Statues in New Orleans,” New York Times, May 7, 2017; Robert Draper, “Toppling Statues is a First Step toward Ending Confederate Myths,” National Geographic, July 2, 2020; Melissa Block, “Push to Remove Confederate Monuments Opens Debate on Other Honored Historical Figures,” NPR, July 2, 2020.

[3] Videovoice is a social psychology term used to describe videos of specific experiences recorded by the participants themselves. Whether or not the videos are narrated, the voice of the participant is assessed through their own recording.

[4] Coding is the method by which trained social psychologists parse data collected from participants of a study.