Underground Passageways

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Identified Problem

Pedestrian underpasses are places that are often overlooked and perhaps even under utilised. While its purpose is to provide pedestrians the convenience of continuing their walking path despite blockages (i.e buildings/ highways), people tend to associate it with negative thoughts, and would often avoid certain underpasses due to the perceived unsafeness of the path.

There are various factors such as the lack of lighting, underpasses being isolated and quiet that contribute to the perceived safeness of the path.


Location of Interest

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Interview Questions

  1. On a day to day basis, would normally take pedestrian passageways?
  2. What are your feelings towards this passageway? Would you take this path? Why or why not?
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  3. What are your feelings towards this passageway? Would you take this path? Why or why not?screen-shot-2016-10-24-at-2-51-13-pm
  4. Given that pedestrian underpasses provide a shorter route to your destination, would you rather go around or go through it?
  5. What would you suggest for the underpass so that it will be more pedestrian friendly?

What has been done

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Left: Murals of SG in more touristy underpasses; as a culture identity/ to share our history with tourists, make the city a more vibrant place

Right: Commercial use for advertising, high traffic in prime shopping area, strategic exposure or the company

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Left: Lights made the underpass a more inviting, welcoming space that changes color in 4 stages between dusk and dawn, adding a sense of life to their cityscape silhouette wall mural. This area had been previously plagued by vandalism.

 
Right: The split half effect by lighting and colour to differentiate the cycling and pedestrian path; the idea to distinguish the two different worlds of fast and slow traffic. Pedestrian path also has a ramp at the entrance whereas cycling path is flat (for user to differentiate)


Insight

  1. It is a challenge to change the negative perception of a space unless positive associations are made.
  2. Having a human company makes people more willing to travel through underpasses which they have a negative association with. It is also the most that can be done on the pedestrian level.
  3. Lighting and visual improvements changes perception first.

Problem Statement

Pedestrians needs a way to overcome the negative association that underpasses are unsafe or uncomfortable to travel by, in order to tap on the convenience of underpasses.


Solutions:

#1 Targets people with different coping mechanismsscreen-shot-2016-10-24-at-3-08-04-pm screen-shot-2016-10-24-at-3-07-55-pm

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#2 Working on sense of isolation and perceived dangerscreen-shot-2016-10-24-at-3-09-47-pmscreen-shot-2016-10-24-at-3-02-44-pm

 

#3 By increasing sense of surveillance screen-shot-2016-10-24-at-3-10-15-pm
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Next Steps:

To extent the interview questions out to the public, additional questions to target specific underpass in ECP. To consider if installation would be a temporary event art installation or a permanent park improvement.

Final Project Ideas

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IDEA 1: Virtual City Tour 

Problem: When travelling, I find walking tours to be extremely insightful and interesting. However, I often wished that I could have had my own space and own pace to explore the area instead of keeping to a time limit.

Proposed Solution: 

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An augmented screen based tour inspired by the Alter Bahnhof Video Walk, to guide the viewer’s perspective, using the GPS system to prompt the users about possible places of interests where these video guides are available.

IDEA 2: What Can I Cook?

Problem: There are times that I want to prepare a meal but am too lazy to actually head out to get ingredients. I then open my fridge and go like, “hmm what can I cook with these ingredients?”. But due to my limited mental cookbook, I always end up cooking the same stuff.

Proposed Solution: A phone app that suggests to users a possible list of dishes and instructions based on the ingredients that they key in.

IDEA 3: Pocket Stylist

Problem: Feeling lazy but don’t want to compromise your style? Can’t decide how to coordinate your clothes? Can’t decide what to wear?

 

 

Proposed Solution: A pocket stylist that exists in a form of a phone app. As users purchase new items, they can enter the code into the app and keep a virtual wardrobe. The app then acts like a outfit generator to suggest the different looks that users can adopt.