Good to see Candy Chang–fellow TED Fellow–and catch up over wine yesterday night.
Candy is cofounder of Civic Center: an art/design studio based in New Orleans that works to make cities more comfortable for people. “Civic Center blends art, design, education, research, and urban planning to create spaces and tools that help people navigate their cities and improve their neighborhoods. We believe that public spaces should inspire conversation, make the machinery of the city more accessible, and restore a sense of dignity to the public realm.” And many of their projects offer simple, low tech solutions with exponential community-building results. Because, with a background in architecture, graphic design and urban planning, Candy combines these disciplines to make urban information and communication tools more accessible and engaging through field research, design and the creative use of public space. Her recent work includes a guide to street vending in New York City, air quality mapping on mobile devices, participatory post-it note installations on local rents, a little book about skyscrapers, and flash cards on tenants’ rights.
Take a look at Civic Center’s website right here.