Circular process: An urban design vision through cross-cultural interchange.

Interchange

Circular Process: Content

Calgary’s first 4-Gen innovation centre Arvind Gopalakrishnan

Interchange

Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

CONTENT, n.

the amount of a constituent occurring in a substance In a urban design context, Content could be defined as the principal substance of all man-made interventions that have been imperative in transforming /restructuring the physical and natural environment and the way people around it function. These interventions could have positive and negative consequences on a micro and a macro level depending on the problem that’s being addressed. For instance, a school or a university addresses the issue of access to education.

-Content- definition and its constituents.

-Concept of agency, its impacts, and its relationship with the people -existing agencies and exchange on site.

-Amalgamation of indigenous beliefs & values and modern technology.

-Concept of indigenous oral traditions in a modern context to achieve the design goal.

-Age group study, and the significance of knowledge transfer between generations.

The circular process as a result of the research and design process.

I thus conceive of Content as an umbrella term: an association of agency, technology, demographics, and an exchange among these. A close relationship between these terms can have an enormous impact on the existing urban fabric. It can either make or break society. However, a disconnect between these aspects can have detrimental effects too. The term content presents how advanced technology or services could be made accessible to people, and help improve existing conditions. It would thus provide more learning opportunities and make them responsible in a way that they can give back to society.

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AGENCY, n.

The quality of moving or of exerting power; the state of being in action; action; operation; instrumentality.

Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

The impact of the agency on people often depends on 1. The target audience, 2. The purpose of the organization (Profit, non-profit, spiritual), 3. It’s accessibility from the surrounding communities.

4. The scale at which it operates, 5. Does it foster multicultural interactions?

6. Does it impose regulations on the people, or does it work in collaboration with the people?

7. Does it consider the needs of the future generations?

Agency, as a subgroup of content represents the businesses and organizations within a specific boundary, that operate on different set of values.

It can also be defined as “a business or organization established to provide a particular service, typically one that involves organizing transactions between two other parties.” (1) A simple western way to look at an agency is: something that bridges the gap between “what we have” and “what we must have” through organizations established to provide the required services.

However, the indigenous people would argue that an agency is something that protects their rights, promotes their full and effective participation, and respects their will to pursue their own visions of economic and social development.

Relationship between agencies and the society.

The society comprises of different groups of stakeholders that affect and/or are affected by the existence and functioning of a business (agency). The stakeholders include but are not limited to customers, employees, investors, suppliers, vendors, the government etc. Although the relationship between the society and businesses has been complex since time immemorial, it plays an integral role in the development of the communities as well as the success of the businesses.

Based on the general systems theory established by Ludwig von Bertalanffy and J. G. Miller in the 1960s, organizations (or agencies) function as a small component of a large integrated system within a society comprising of political, social, economic, and environmental issues.(2) This implies that any modifications made by an agency can have desirable or undesirable effects on any part of the political, social, economic, and environmental system.

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Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

It is thus imperative to have an integrated network of agencies operating at different levels of the system, that work towards an overarching goal of achieving communities’ overall growth and development.

This integrated network can be referred to as exchange; An exchange of capital, commodity, values, and information.

In most cases, new agencies are developed with the expectation of connecting with the existing framework of exchange among the agencies and with the community.

This strong framework fostering exchange of the above-mentioned factors with the people is what facilitates overall growth and development of a community.

This map illustrates the relationship between the different organizations and the communities.

The darker shade represents a stronger relationship between the agencies (religious, healthcare, educational, commercial, and financial institutions).

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TECHNOLOGY: another important subgroup of content, acts as a facilitator of ex-

change of capital, commodity, values, and information with the people. It plays a vital role by making the resources accessible to people. In simple terms, it is “science or knowledge put into practical use to solve problems of the present and prevent problems of the future.” The indigenous peoples lived in harmony with their environments, but they also actively manipulated elements in those environments to meet their day-to-day needs.(3) Ranging from fire for managing forest and grassland resources, various implements designed for hunting, agricultural implements, irrigation and other water management systems for agriculture, to several astronomical tools, they have proven to be the most active native peoples in effecting political changes and regaining their autonomy in several areas encompassing education, land ownership, religious freedom, and revitalization of their culture.(4)

Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

Thus, with these factors taken into consideration, I strongly believe, that a design programme that allows the scholars with specialization in Indigenous science and technology to provide mentorship as well as become role models for current and prospective science students would encourage further research and solutions, thus promoting culturally inclusive scientific approaches.

Thus, in this “age of information”, a careful consideration of their inclination towards trading and technology can help direct the design process in a way that it promotes a meaningful interaction among themselves and with the people from other backgrounds and cultures. It provides the required tools to compete on an international level, thus serving as a launchpad to trade in the global market. Technology, as a facilitator of exchange of capital, commodity, values, and information would thus open doors to economic development by providing a diverse range of employment options such as advertising and media, information technology, banking & insurance, tourism, health and wellness etc.

This illustration of a handshake between a native elder and a western settler is an abstract representation of what the design process at the Interchange promotes: an amalgamation of indigenous values and modern technology that would result in a multicultural and an all-inclusive living and working environment.

Indigenous knowledge pertaining to medicine has been instrumental in pharmacological development. Their traditional knowledge and techniques, in conjunction with the technological advancements can help diagnose and prevent diseases, thus contributing to a healthier lifestyle.

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Intergenerational entrepreneurship A systematic and thorough analysis of the site led me to develop a design process that evolved from the idea of “The oral tradition�: the native peoples’ way of passing cultural information from one generation to the next; A process that acknowledges the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the existing cultures within and beyond the site. Indigenous stories are known for being much more than just entertainment and are used as life lessons with a moral to help people live a meaningful life. (5)

Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

This ancient idea of oral tradition is expressed in the design process through the concept of Intergenerational entrepreneurship: people from different generations working together to achieve an overarching goal. An interaction between the intergenerational team of entrepreneurs helps build a strong sense of community with a blend of intelligence and experience each generation has. An age group study of the people living within the boundary of the given site was instrumental in understanding the age dynamics and why it is important to pass on the values from native and non-native elders to the new generations.

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Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

One common aspect that plays a significant role in oral tradition and intergenerational entrepreneurship is communication. Adapting to the different communication styles and techniques of all generations could help work collaboratively and thus yield smarter decisions and innovative solutions. This leads to another concept called knowledge transfer. An intergenerational community fosters constant flow of knowledge through successive generations.

The design process would focus on intergenerational entrepreneurship as a general theme that promotes trnasfer of knowledge within and beyond the site limits.

A detailed study of the workforce groups conveys that the baby boomers or elders (in the indigenous culture) are a significant resource to the youth in terms of their knowledge in various disciplines such as business and trade, spirituality and religious practices, human relations, wealth management. On the other hand the Gen Y and millenials, though have relatively less work experience, have a strong inclination towards networking and technology. The Gen Z being the most digitally savvy generation yet, could be extremely resourceful in learning and gathering values from the other generations. This type of partnering has the capacity to unite entrepreneurs to create business and services that are more attractive and sustainable. An active knowedge sharing and transfer among these generations would help the youth to be in a position to give back to their community when they reach the “elder� phase of their lives.

Interchange A diverse set of programmes such as research centres, entrepreneurship hubs, co-working spaces, spaces for spiritual healing, resorts and spas, commercial and retail facilities, digital manufacturing, sports and recreation, with a central idea of “knowledge transfer” and “multiculturalism” would foster intergenerational and intercultural values within and beyond the site, thus setting an example of how indigenous culture can coexist with modern urban planning and technology.

The dark-to-light shade of blue represents the phasing of different zones at the Interchange, based on the existing infrastructure and the needs of the people.

Circular Process: Content

Gopalakrishnan

The circular process

Worldviews on land – Non indigenous people consider land as something they own and believe that the land and its resources should be available for development and extraction for the benefit of humans.(6) Since time immemorial, indigenous peoples have had an intricate relationship with land, and have always believed that the land is sacred and is given by a creator or supreme being.

They feel they are responsible to protect the land, sea and all the creatures that inhabit the earth with them. Their knowledge, languages and cultural practices have a strong connection to the land.

Worldviews on wealth – Non indigenous people believe that amassing wealth is for personal gain.(6) The non indigenous man is often criticized for being excessively concerned with physical comforts and acquisition of material possessions whereas the indigenous peoples think of themselves as a collective and feel the need to share the wealth among the community.

Interchange Our ever-increasing needs have resulted in numerous developments within and beyond a city scale in the form of science and technology, health and medicine, law and politics, infrastructure etc. that tend to challenge the ancient beliefs and practices.

But as the world is constantly evolving, it is imperative for us (indigenous and non-indigenous) people to adapt with the changes, gain knowledge and new experiences by building meaningful relationships with people from different cultures and generations.

An intergenerational entrepreneurship on a broad-scale would mean people of all age groups (indigenous and on-indigenous) getting together to learn from each other, and build companies that leverage technology to develop inclusive, sustainable and resilient communities. This would not only promote innovation, learning and entrepreneurship, but also bring about a diversity in the job market resulting in an overall growth of the communities. A plethora of entrepreneurship opportunities would mean that the current and future generations of indigenous peoples would have equal opportunities to live a healthy life, learn new skills, participate fully in the economy, pursue their vision, and give back to the community.

References 1. Agency: Definition Of Agency By Lexico https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/agency 2. Modern Organization Theory - Systems Theory: Open & Closed System https://www.toppr.com/guides/fundamentals-of-economics-and-management/evolution-of-management-thought/modern-organization-theory-systems-theory/ 3. Indian Technology | Encyclopedia.com https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/ indian-technology 4. Native American Elizabeth Pauls - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Native-American 5. 11 Things You Should Know About Aboriginal Oral Traditions Bob Joseph - https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/11-things-you-should-know-about-aboriginal-oraltraditions 6. Indigenous Peoples Worldviews Vs Western Worldviews Bob Joseph - https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indigenous-peoples-worldviews-vs-western-worldviews