Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
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CONTENTS What if... 3 Inquiry Origin Story 5 Introduction 6 Site Context 8 Existing Space Analysis 10 Stakeholder Engagement 14 The Ignited Thinking Process 21 A Vision For Tomorrow 27 What if...Scenario “A” 34 What if...Scenario “B” 38 What if...Scenario “C” 42 Let’s Ask the Experts 46
Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
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Old National Events Plaza Community Inquiry Lab EVPL Central Library
A Community Inquiry Lab could support EVPL’s strategic plan of cultivating community capitol by building a community asset to help
DoubleTree Hotel
advance Evansville and the region? Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library is a central point of coordination and space to convene, facilitate, and create to solve the community’s most pressing problems and incubate new ideas. EVPL builds capacity across organizational boundaries by strategically aligning resources and intellectual capital over time.
Ford Center
This Community Inquiry Lab will further formalize the intellectual, technological, and physical space, and pace to practice community inquiry as model and method in order to identify, design, and dedicate resources to act upon specific outcomes-based projects. A subtle-yet radical shift in how the library positions itself as community infrastructure.
Project Team: EVPL www.evpl.org Cyndee Sturgis Landrum Sharon Comstock Katie Reineke Charles Sutton Heather McNabb
Stan Egli Nancy Gordon Jerica Copeny Heather McKinney Jared Cook Zack Hoskins Daniel Smith
Helen Azarian Jake Kohlmeyer Kate Linderman Nathan Jochum Stacy Hurt Claire Winternheimer
W/purpose www.wpurpose.com
ThoughtFire www.thoughtfirehub.com
Wil Marquez Matt DeLoughery Alejandra Lagunas Roberto Daniel Blondet
Omar Atia Leslie Wade John Pena
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“What excites me the most about a Community Inquiry Lab is the fact that people do get a voice in the future of our community. It is through those voices that we can shine a light on issues that are probably not just being faced in Evansville, but are national and international issues that are important to talk about. The process of questioning and inquiry will lead us to better models for success in the future.� -Heather McNabb
Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
What is Community Inquiry? Curiosity lives in everything we do, whether we realize it or not; it is our most powerful tool. Community Inquiry is a vehicle for driving voices, perspectives, and ideas together to explore curiosity in an effort to discover or create shared visions for the future. Community Inquiry has been explored and tested for over 100 years as a model for communities to come together and create change for themselves in sustainable ways. Inquiry simply means you’ve decided to take your curiosity and DO something about it. The ‘community’ in Community Inquiry means you recognize your curiosity belongs to more than just you; that there are others out there (a whole ‘community’ in fact!) who share your curiosity and want to explore it with you. It’s not just your inquiry now… it’s a community inquiry.
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How is Community Inquiry done? Community Inquiry looks different for everyone and there is no one way to do Community Inquiry. It can take limitless forms: through conversations, written word, songs, poems, art, music, architecture‌ it takes the shape of however the inquirers need to express it. But while it may take different form, it always begins with one thing; a question. A question from the community, about the community and for the sake of the community. The community, together, investigates their question. During the process, you will come up with new or deeper questions that will lead you to the source of what everyone is really asking. Once the inquiry is fully understood, then you can begin coming up with ideas, possibilities, or solutions. This is where the magic happens and when community inquiry can make an impact on how we live and work together.
Why is Community Inquiry important to the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library? We envision a world of inquirers who collaborate, engage, and respect everyone’s ideas and differing voices. Community inquiry allows us to find and learn about the strengths of our residents, groups, neighborhoods, communities, and ourselves. We may then align and connect the assets previously isolated or undiscovered and then, through inquiry, imagine and create a future of limitless possibilities together.
Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
AREA CONTEXT
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MARTIN LUTHER MATIN LUTHER KINGKING JR. BOULEVARD
8TH STREET
10TH STREET
SCHOOL BUS PARKING
CHESTNUT STREET
OO N
EVSC
KENNEDY TOWERS
PARKING
9TH STREET
GS
CHERRY STREET
EVSC
TEAMSTERS LOCAL 215
**
B
C
WALNUT STREET
HOTEL
B
LOADING AND DELIVERY
N
A
B
Walnut Street will be undergoing big changes in the near future related to quality of place initiatives. Improvements will mean road diets, beautification, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
C
EVPL future inquiry lab & outdoor pavilion. The lab and outdoor space intend to explore creative ways to be part of Walnut Street improvements and better serve the public and community.
A
CONVENTION HALL
Area Site Plan Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a vital and thriving corridor in Downtown Evansville
STARBUCKS
SPORTS/CONCERTS
CITY COUNTY BLDG.
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WALNUT STREET
WALNUT STREET
SECTION AA
Area Context The EVPL and its Community Inquiry Lab Project hopes to contribute to the public good by working to transform the exisitng gated plaza. We hope to maximize the exterior space as a local destination, as well as, programmed community learning environment. Our hope is to work alongside the Walnut Street improvements and multi-use trail to develop a unique space in our city for the city. Walnut Street is a major route into the City and for Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS). While the project is identified as a “road diet project� (reducing the number of vehicular traffic lanes from four to three) EVPL hopes to expand the use of the former cafe location and plaza into a public destination for everyone.
Existing Inquiry Lab
SECTION AA
LOADING SPACE FOR OLD NATIONAL EVENTS PLAZA EXISTING ENCLOSED GREEN SPACE / COURTYARD
WALNUT STREET
INQUI RY IS ABO UT N E
WW AYS OF SEE ING
Existing Ceiling System
IMPROVEMENTS COMING SOON
PUBLIC
SECTION AA | ACROSS WALNUT STREET & CENTRAL BRANCH
SEMI PUBLIC
FENCE COLUMNS? 47
SEMI PRIVATE
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Existing Inquiry Lab
ASSEMBLY 15 SQFT/PERSON (35-40 TOTAL OCCUPANTS)
A
A
A
B
A Existing Cafe Equipment / Casework B Built-in Service Island C Built-in Countertops
C
Notes/Observations: 28’-3”
** Video Conferencing sound is not ideal due to multiple hard surfaces in the space, including concrete floor.
C
6’-
CONC. FLOOR
5”
641 SQFT
C
** Existing lighting is not working properly due to dated fixtures and limited working lamps. ** Access to outdoor space could expand labs programming. Safety concerns is an issue to consider ** Vertical Surfaces needed for ideation facilitation, projection, and writing.
Existing Space Diagram NOT TO SCALE
** Furniture better suited to facilitate small groups. Existing tables and chairs do not function with needs of the space.
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An original wood model of the EVPL Central Branch. An original concept for the space, cafe, and courtyard in 2004 included a unique pergola and no barriers along Walnut Street.
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New Space for Inquiry
A
Add Commercial Carpet Tiles To Help Damper Noise
The existing space hasn’t generally been open to the public in a while.
B
Remove Existing Casework and Replace with 8’ Dry Erase Board
C
Remove Storefront Glazing System and Prep for Oversized Insulated Wood Doors
It previously served as a cafe for library patrons. The cafe’s built-in
B
furnishings are still in the space, but are not being used.
B con car c. pet
Some challenges in the existing interior space include insufficient
D
lighting, poor acoustics, lack of signage and wayfinding, and absence of physical access to the space from the outside and the street. The
A
existing exterior space is landscaped nicely, features artwork, and has
E
C
some seating and tables for people to use. It is, however, inaccessible
Commercial Tables (Modular to Make Circle) w/ Casters that lock. New Equipment Cabinet w/ Projector, Speakers, Microphones, A/V
from the street, and very difficult to find access to from inside the E
library.
C
D
Both the interior and exterior spaces have great potential to be a bridge
and outside, between insiders and outsiders, and between the library
TO NS RD IO YA UT RT E OL OU AC Y S O C E SP TIF T TH EN AB E ID EN L CUR OP D SE AN
more public, welcoming, and inclusive. The interior space can also become more accessible. It can provide a connection between inside
CONCEPT INQUIRY LAB
and people. OUTDOOR METAL CANOPY HELPS EXPAND INTERIOR SPACE INTO THE COURTYARD
Steel Column for Canopy Structure
C
between the library and the community. The exterior space can become
OVERSIZED METAL DOORS
FABRICATED DOME NOISE DAMPENING
ALLOWS LAB EXPERIENCE TO EXPAND AND BLUR INSIDE/ OUTSIDE EXPERIENCE
REMOVE EXISTING CEILING SYSTEM AND REPLACE WITH A FABRICATED PATTERN CEILING THAT WILL DAMPEN NOISE VS. RELFECTING NOISE.
STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS HELPS BUILD CIVIC BRANDING AND SHARED PRIDE FOR PUBLIC SPACE. HOW WILL LIGHTING, BANNERS, BENCHES, BUS STOPS, ART, AND BEAUTIFICATION FIGURE INTO A PLAN FOR THE INQUIRY LAB?
C AA SECTION ACROSS WALNUT STREET & EVPL CENTRAL BRANCH
D
H
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
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Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
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WE DID STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT This workshop was a valuable step in the process of designing the Community Inquiry Lab. W/purpose’s objective was to spend time in the existing space and listen to members of the community who use the library. We wanted to bring our concept, process, and tools into the library. W/purpose provided various tool and maps for community members to explore the existing space and contribute ideas for what the space free to express themselves, their desires, their needs, and their dreams, all while learning about the opportunities and challenges for the Community Inquiry Lab.
“Create a place
“
could be. We aimed to establish a creative space where people were
of empathy...
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STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT OUR PROCESS
W/purpose equipped the workshops with a variety of creation tools to allow community members to share their ideas and talk about the future. We used a number of creative tools to spark conversations and peak curiosities. Our team came prepared to the workshops with physical models of the library and its downtown neighborhood. This allowed participants to explore the scale of space and its larger context. By using 3D models, maps, and drawings participants could express their own ideas and manipulate various scenarios to dive into different ways of learning about the project and its potential. The workshops also provided more formal architectural drawings as visual aids to help the public understand the overall depth of the Community Inquiry Lab and its ambitions. W/purpose filled the former Cafe space with different exercieses for various sized 3D printers. The equipment or “tools” were leveraged to help teach people about different ways of representing and making your ideas clear. It was a great way to get feedback. While 3D printers were creating a buzz with different versions of the project area, we also printed customized items for the participants. In the end, we were pleased to show the public the process of how an idea can become a reality. Our team member, ThoughtFire, did an extraordinary job of exploring ideas, probing the public, and gathering feedback through Creative Thought Flow Sessions. These sessions brought community members together and allowed groups to explore big
“comfortable A space that is and
“
making and sharing. We displayed a laser cutter, a CNC router, and
welcoming...
and small concepts. The sessions empowered the public, while determining what issues were most important to them.
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Over 300 comments were documented by everyday patrons of the library?
Previous Page Photo:
Above Photo:
Community members and library users participated in a public workshop to learn about the Community Inquiry Lab and express what they want and need in the new space.
Throughout the workshop, participants had a variety of ways to contribute ideas to the design of the new space.
Participants provided feedback on the existing space, learned about the design process, and explored different tools that could be used in a new lab. People of all ages and backgrounds wrote, drew, and used physical models to convey their ideas about the future of the space and the library.
ThoughtFire led Creative Thought Flow Sessions to engage community members in collaborative brainstorming. This process allowed groups of people to express their ideas and then come together to identify common threads between shared ideas.
W/purpose associate Matt DeLoughery discusses how new tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC routers can be used for inquiry processes
The Ignited Thinking Process Thoughtfire
ThoughtFire is an organization focused around unleashing the potential within organizations, communities, and individuals by using its disciplined process - The Ignited Thinking® Process. Ignited Thinking® is a methodology that links a creative problem solving process with skills and tools to unleash team creativity and catapult results in any environment. The process is a simple, experiential and inclusive approach to innovative thinking, problem solving, decision making, and implementing valuable changes. The alignment of values between ThoughtFire, w/Purpose, and the Community Inquiry Lab made for a beautiful collaboration that allowed for a creative environment within the workshop for all participants.
©COPYRIGHT 2019 THOUGHTFIRE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE SIMPLEX PROCESS COPYRIGHT OF BASADUR APPLIED CREATIVITY
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The Ignited Thinking Process Cont.
Within the Ignited Thinking® process are 3 key skills that are used; diverge, converge, and deferral of judgment. In layman’s terms, diverge means to come up with as many options as possible (quantity over quality). Converge means to select from those options. And deferral of judgment means to suspend judgment of yourself and others while diverging; it’s an easy skill to understand but harder in practice (especially as adults!). ThoughtFire’s role in the Community Inquiry workshop was to assist in the facilitation of gathering ideas from community members and workshop attendees. ThoughtFire utilized its process and empathic personality in order to ask appropriate inquiries and garner feedback that could be used in w/Purpose’s efforts. Because of ThoughtFire’s process and use of process skills, over 300 ideas
300 # of ideas generated
were generated by a diverse group of participants to be considered in the project moving forward.
©COPYRIGHT 2019 THOUGHTFIRE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE SIMPLEX PROCESS COPYRIGHT OF BASADUR APPLIED CREATIVITY
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Community Inquiry Lab Workshop Limitless Opportunities Through Inquiry Join us for a workshop to learn about design processes and how community engagement can impact physical space to create possible visions for Evansville’s Community Inquiry Lab. Explore inquiry and space through writing, drawing, questioning, modeling, 3D printing, and other ways of creating. Share your curiosity! Since the Community Inquiry Lab is for everyone, the design of the space should be informed by everyone. The creations, ideas, and feedback that result from this workshop will be used during the design process to develop possibilities of what the space could look like. Come collaborate with others toward a shared future for the Community Inquiry Lab.
When: Sunday, February 3 : 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday, February 4 : 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 5 : 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Where: EVPL Central Community Inquiry Lab
Students expressed their vision for what and why a Community Inquiry Lab would be important.
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Katie Reineke & Omar Atia took time to explain the process with visitors to the space
Patrons and guests used 3D printed models to help frame the local context
A VISION FOR TOMORROW
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OUTDOOR CANOPY | “Billed as Australia’s rival to the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, the temporary MPavilion will provide a venue for over 200 free events, ranging from talks and workshops to performances and exhibitions.
INDOOR SOUNDPROOFING | “Polyhue transforms the typical drop ceiling, replacing all standardization with fully custom colored and natural elements. The organic form was driven by pre-existing HVAC, plumbing, and structural systems in the space. Undulations in the surface maximize vertical height as they conform to the existing conditions.”
dezeen.com/2015/10/05/amanda-levete-architects-mpavilion-queen-victoria-gardens-melbourne-australia
https://p1-studio.com/project/polyhue/
OUTDOOR ART CANOPY HELPS EXPAND INTERIOR SPACE INTO THE COURTYARD
NEW TYPOLOGY OF ARCHITECTURE CONSIDER A NEW VERNACULAR OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN TO RECEIVE NEW PUBLIC WALKING TRAIL. USE DESIGN AS A TOOL TO BUILD EXCITEMENT, PROMOTE ENGAGEMENT, & REINFORCE EXISTING ELEMENTs
FABRICATED DOME NOISE DAMPENING CEILING REMOVE EXISTING CEILING SYSTEM AND REPLACE WITH A FABRICATED PATTERN CEILING THAT WILL DAMPEN NOISE VERSUS RELFECTING NOISE.
INDOOR SOUNDPROOFING | Indoor Fabric Panels http://www.johansondesign.com/
H
CUSTOM INDOOR ACOUSTIC PANELS | Resonant Chamber, an interior envelope system that deploys the principles of rigid origami, transforms the acoustic environment through dynamic spatial, material and electro-acoustic technologies.
hhttps://www.archdaily.com/227233/resonant-chamber-rvtr/rc_02
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New Space for Inquiry
Presentation/Storytelling
Shelter/Canopy
Sharing and Growing Space
Art/Water
Under new conditions how might we imagine the space today or 10 years from now? How will the growth of the city impact the public and its relationship with quality of life elements important for the future? Public Transit
Visitors and Guests
the public offered their time & talents to the Community Inquiry Lab design process?
PEOPLE OFFERED THEIR TIME AND TALENTS The design team took many thoughts from the community and condensed them into a few cohesive ideas. These ideas include flexibility and adaptability to create a space where all people, ideas, and questions are welcome.
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A
SCENARIO #1 WATER FOCUS W/ COMMUNITY TABLE
B
A. Community Platform
This platform allows people to share their ideas, questions, talents, and arts. It provides space for the community to come together, share, and explore.
C
E
F
D
B. Community Transportation Storage
This space allows members of the community to safely store whatever they use to get to the library. There will be spaces for bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, shopping carts, etc. This sculpture is adaptable. It can be changed to feature various local artists. It can be used to bring awareness to questions that impact the neighborhood and city.
D. Community Garden
This space allows people to grow food for the community. This food can be given to those who need it, generate income for community projects, or be used in preparing community breakfasts, lunches, or dinners.
E. Water Feature, Fountain, or Environment
A space to “ perform inquiry...
“
C. Community Art
This interactive fountain lights up and draws people into the space. It’s a fun place for all. It allows people to cool off when it’s hot.
F. Community Table
This table brings people together. It’s a place where people can gather over questions, ideas, books, food, etc. It’s a place where voices can be heard. Everyone has a seat at this table!
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FOOD TRUCK INFRASTRUCTURE
Water Feature or Fountain
This interactive fountain lights up and draws people into the space. It’s a fun place for all. The water feature creates a micro environment for cooling and reinforces the fountain theme found throughout Downtown Evansville.
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Community Table This table brings people together. It’s a place where people can gather over questions, ideas, books, food, etc. It’s a place where voices can be heard. Everyone has a seat at this table! A
A. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society / Pop Up Garden B. Community Table / Saga Communications C. Neighborhood Meeting / David Sanderson
B
A
C
future
“
“ space
for ideas...
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Community Transportation Storage This space allows members of the community to safely store whatever they use to get to the library. There will be spaces for bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, shopping carts, etc. A. Skateboard Racks / Arizona State University / Tempe, AZ B. Parklet / cyclehoop / London C. Bikehangar / cyclehoop / London
A
B
“A place where I
“
can be heard...
C
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SCENARIO #2 ART FOCUS W/ MARKET SHELTER A. Community Platform
This platform allows people to share their ideas, questions, talents, and arts. It provides space for the community to come together, share, and explore.
B. Community Swings
These swings provide shaded space for people to enjoy a book, a snack, or a conversation. They also provide seating to watch performances on the Community Platform.
A B
C
D
F E
C. Community Art
D. Community Garden
This space allows people to grow food for the community. This food can be given to those who need it, generate income for community projects, or be used in preparing community breakfasts, lunches, or dinners.
E. Community Art Fence
This fence is used to create a more private zone within the space, as well as protect the Community Garden space. Interchangeable panels will allow pieces by local artists, poets, writers, historians, etc. to display their work in this space.
where I “A space belong...
“
This art is dispersed throughout the open space. The sculptures are adaptable. They can be changed to feature various local artists. They can be used to bring awareness to questions that impact the neighborhood and city.
F. Community Market
These structures provide covered spaces for community members to share their work, host gatherings, serve food, or sell the things they create.
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PUBLIC ART /SCULPTURE
COMMUNITY MARKET SHELTER OR SWINGS SOLAR LIGHTING
NATIVE SPECIES PLANTS CROSSWALK MATERIALS ??
Community Art
Art is dispersed throughout the renovated courtyard. The sculptures are curated and temporary. They can be changed to feature various local artists or national pieces. Rotating pieces should bring awareness to questions that impact the neighborhood and city.
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Community Swings These swings provide shaded space for people to enjoy a book, a snack, or a conversation. They also provide seating to watch performances on the Community Platform. A. The Porch Swings / Philadelphia Public Art / Bill Curran Design B. Sling Swing / WMB Studio C. Swing Time / Howeler + Yoon
A
B
into my “Stepworld...
“
C
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Community Garden This space allows people to grow food for the community. This food can be given to those who need it, generate income for community projects, or be used in preparing community breakfasts, lunches, or dinners. A. Plant a seed & see what grows foundation / Vancouver, CA B. Brush St. Community Resource Center / The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative / Detroit, MI C. Cadillac Urban Gardens on Merritt / GM / Detroit, MI
B
A
“
The space can be for populations that really need it...
“
C
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SCENARIO #3 PLATFORM & OUTDOOR MEETING SPACE
A
A. Community Platform
This platform allows people to share their ideas, questions, talents, and arts. It provides space for the community to come together, share, and explore.
B. Community Meeting Space
This space allows members of the community to gather spontaneously or host meetings for specific purposes.
F
B
E D C
C. Community Art
D. Community Market
These structures provide covered spaces for community members to share their work, host gatherings, serve food, or sell the things they create.
E. Community Fountain
This interactive fountain lights up and draws people into the space. It helps create a comfortable and relaxing space.
F. Community Fireplace
This space allows members of the community to come together, let their guards down, and be comfortable discussing various ideas. It’s a place where all are welcome.
I “Acanplacebe where safe...
“
This art fence is adaptable. It can be changed to feature various local artists. It can be used to bring awareness to questions that impact the neighborhood and city.
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GARDEN
COVERED PAVILLION SUNKEN PLAZA
Traffic Calming, Marketplace, and Streetscape
Scenario #3 highlights suggestions like platforms, covered shelters, and spaces for communities to convene. An art wall is part of the Walnut Street infrastrure, as well as, streetscape elements like banners and wayfinding.
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Community Art This sculpture is adaptable. It can be changed to feature various local artists. It can be used to bring awareness to questions that impact the neighborhood and city. A. Community Census / Brooklyn B. The Tapestry of Changed Lives / Saddleback Visual Arts / Los Angeles C. Framing The Land / Madeline Marak / St. Louis
A
B
A space “ shaped by my experiences...
“
C
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Community Fountain This interactive fountain lights up and draws people into the space. It’s a fun place for all. It allows people to cool off when it’s hot.
A
A. Pop Up Park / CityScape / Phoenix B. WaterGush by Waterplay / Vancouver C. 5 Sets of DWCs 2015 / Lumiartecnia Internacional /Olot, Spain
B
“
“
C
A place to participate...
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Jerica Copeny: Former Civic Data Scientist EVPL
Charles Sutton: Social Impact Research Manager EVPL
Heather McNabb: Enagagment & Experience Officer EVPL
Cyndee Landrom: Former EVPL CEO/Director
Wil Marquez
Katie Reineke
Public Design Strategy w/purpose
Community Inquiry Librarian of Practice EVPL
LET’S ASK THE EXPERTS Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab
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WE INTERVIEWED EVPL LEADERSHIP ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THOUGHTS AROUND A NEW COMMUNITY INQUIRY LAB. HERE IS WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
does a successful Community Q: What Inquiry Lab look like? A: Katie Reineke:
A successful Community Inquiry Lab is where uninhibited curiosity can happen. It is an experience, outcomes, or discoveries that would never have been able to be imagined had these individuals approached the issues separately.
are the biggest challenges to Q: What building a Community Inquiry Lab? A: Charles Sutton:
The first challenge is organizing and empowering a neighborhood to realize they are community. The community has to recognize and learn that it is a collective group with enormous challenges and power in front of it. The second challenge is recognizing and coming to a shared understanding and then thinking critically about how to organize, shift and change for the existence of the communities’ needs.
excites you about a Community Q: What Inquiry Lab? A: Jerica Copeny What excites me the most about the Community Inquiry Lab is the possibility to help those that feel silent. That is a huge part of my work as a data scientist - the concept of voice and who is hidden in a data set. Understanding who is hidden, whose ideas, struggle, or views is hidden. The idea of developing a space or place where whatever people are going through or whatever people are trying to solve can be seen. That makes me excited.
will EVV look like with a Q: What Community Inquiry Lab A: Heather McNabb Hopefully in five years Evansville with a Community Inquiry Lab is a place that is attracting and retaining talent. It’s a place where people are happy and engaged and people feel that they have the ability to create their own success wherever their issues may lie.
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INTERVIEW CONT.
does a successful Community Q: What Inquiry Lab look like? A: Heather McNabb
Is a place where anyone can come to participate, inquire, question, or to dialog together. It is a place where a community member can visit to dive into a key issue they personally may be facing or that the community may be facing as a whole. For me, a Community Inquiry Lab should be a place where one can communicate, question, or inquire together.
are the biggest challenges to Q: What building a Community Inquiry Lab? A: Cyndee Sturgis Landrum
For me...I believe in the transformative power of a public library. To really take that idea to the next level you have to really move beyond what you understand a library to be and start to think aspirationally about what a library CAN be. So if typically it’s a place where you go get answers why wouldn’t it be a place where you go find questions? Why can’t people go to the library and find people who would have the literacies and fluencies and tools to take a deep dive into those questions in a way that bridges
understanding? I think libraries are the last centers of democracy and civic engagement in a community. They have a critical role to help communities dig a little deeper and move past some of the more surface things we put our energy around. Instead we should put our rigor and questions towards the creation of a new set of economic, cultural, and social values.
What usable feedback did you glean
Q: from the CIL Workshop? What are the next design steps using it?
A: Wil Marquez
These workshops and vignettes should spur those next questions and inquiries with stakeholders, city officials, and board members. As change agents, citizens, architects, and place-makers we have to ask ourselves, ‘How do we advance the will of the collective...How do you enable a collective to share in a creative process...and then make it?” This team of strategist, librarians, building managers, patrons, and consultants helped us receive around 300 ideas and comments regarding the building and the space between buildings. The library has a real opportunity in front of it - I believe we framed it that way.
HOW DO YOU DESIGN FOR INQUIRY WORKBOOK BY W/PURPOSE LLC, EDITING BY EVPL
WWW.WPURPOSE.COM
Design Development Process EVPL Community Inquiry Lab