Design Action 2014: Private Choices, Public Spaces

How can design enable dialogue in contested public spaces? This ArchiteXX-lead design action will address the public-private interface of the last remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi.

Design is a powerful, effective and often under-utilized tool in addressing the complexities of contested spaces. ArchiteXX calls you to collaborate with us in a practice of active citizenship through design. We believe design must engage challenging social and political dimensions of the built environment, such as access to reproductive health care, in order to make improvements at all scales for all people. Knee jerk reactions to these issues are prevalent in mainstream media. We invite the public to think more broadly and deeply about the role design can play in dialogue with such complicated and multi-layered issues. The public-private threshold of an abortion clinic is a highly nuanced interface of strong personal sentiments. Our design action takes the discomfort head-on, illuminating the spatial implications of access to reproductive health care and the role design can play in expanding the conversation.

Collaborate with ArchiteXX. Deadline: August 30, 2014.