Background
Being Hispanic myself, I grew up around a very large family. On my father’s side, I learned, laughed, and grew with strong women around me at all times. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, traditional Hispanic culture is ingrained in the city itself. Residents and tourists alike are invited to embrace the culture, even if they may not be a part of it themselves. That closeness of community and the sharing among equals is something that I have often craved since moving to the city. While public spaces are innovative in many ways, they also lack in more important areas, like offering culture to those who feel far away from it. In my project I thought a lot about who I would want to address and include in the space. And the answer is everyone. While the app I created is free to Hispanic residents of the Lower East Side, it is also accessible to those of any race, ethnicity, or background, because bridging the gap begins with inclusivity.
History/Census
The Hispanic population in the Lower East Side faced much hardship in the 1970s as a response to the gang violence, drugs, and extreme poverty that was present at the time. The above forced families and children into difficult positions that made day-to-day living an extremely hard task in the city. Throughout the late 1900s, the area began to experience gentrification which affected major streets such as Orchard Street and Delancey Street. Orchard Street specifically was once named the Bargain District but now suits both the middle and wealthy classes through the uprise in upscale boutiques and restaurants. Between the years 2010 and 2019 the Hispanic population has grown from 39% to 50% making it the dominant demographic in LES. The neighborhood is still home to a wise immigrant population, but little to no representation is shown among the area. In the area now we see a multitude of art galleries, restaurants, clothing stores, and nightclubs. While there are a number of bodegas and service shops that are primarily run by Hispanic immigrants, we have yet to see public spaces that cater to them specifically. While gentrification has impacted New York greatly, there hasn’t been a shift in the types of services and shops that we provide to people who have lived in the neighborhood for most of their lives. The Lower East Side has become a popular hub for younger generations and has sacrificed its history and culture of its people to recreate its own image, one that realistically only benefits the trend-seekers and the wealthy.
What is your design goal?
Through the prototype app I hoped to show the traditions and cultural values of the Hispanic population in the Lower East Side. While the app does go hand in hand with the physical public space, the app is meant to serve as a stepping stone to physical involvement in activities and events that take place at CASA. I had hoped to merge the two in a symbiotic way, making it simple for users to create events of their own, sign their family up for a cooking class together, or simply to grow tomatoes in the garden on Sunday morning. The events are meant to reconnect residents of the Lower East Side with the Hispanic culture that they may not have direct access to within the city.
Reflection
I learned a lot about myself during throughout Bridge 3 and 4, specifically my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to design thinking. I was very proud of the final outcome of my project and felt that it was a true culmination of what I had learned from my neighborhood and what I learned in both the studio and seminar classes. I would have liked to demonstrate my concept more clearly when it came to the connection and cohesion of the public space and the app prototype so that the audience had a more clear overview of what the space had to offer LES residents. If I did have more time and money to offer this project I would have loved to actually create a working app that acted as a mobile meeting space. However, I am still very proud of the final product that I created and found that through extensive research about a community, there are endless possibilities for what can be achieved to better the lives of people who live there.
