Design Knowledge Extraction: A Community-Based Approach to Public Open Space Design in Mexico City

Abstract

‘When Mexico City was struck by a devastating earthquake in 1985, the state failed the people; poorly constructed public housing crumbled and the army was ready to bulldoze buildings with survivors still trapped inside. A month after the quake, 40,000 angry refugees marched on the government, refusing to be relocated out of their neighbourhoods and demanding a “democratic reconstruction”. Not only were 50,000 new dwellings for the homeless built in a year; the neighbourhood groups that grew out of the rubble launched a movement that is challenging Mexico's traditional power holders to this day’ (Klein, 2005). Unfortunately, many of these new dwellings were inappropriate in terms of design and construction, and have subsequently been demolished. The neighbourhood investigated in this paper is in a prime location—one that has been earmarked for commercial development—and, as a consequence, no new residential construction has taken place there. This paper looks at the possibility that organized communities can provide a forum for residents to actively participate in rebuilding neighbourhoods following natural disasters. It examines the Alameda Sur (South) district of Mexico City—a 64-block area fronting the Alameda Park that houses more than 1000 families and businesses—which is still recovering from the 1985 earthquake. Environmental modelling techniques are utilized to extract design knowledge. Self-organizing groups are formed to carry out a particular design task. After the completion of the tasks and production of physical models, knowledge synthesis is carried out. Based on this synthesis, the most important design knowledge is extracted in relation to the design of public open space.

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