"Plan B depicts the future of Los Angeles facing rising sea levels due to climate change in 2050."
World Narrative
Plan B depicts the future of Los Angeles facing rising sea levels due to climate change in 2050. Government attempts to mitigate the sea level rise have failed to save the coast. Now, the government, to ‘save the city,’ has undertaken a project to build a massive sea wall, the line of which coincidentally/conveniently protects most of the city's affluent neighborhoods. The Wall running along Interstate 405 now redefines the coastal boundary of the city of Los Angeles, covering the areas falling inside the wall. In contrast, the areas outside are doomed to submerge.
Inside the wall, the town is regular and industrialized. All the processes are being mechanized and produced efficiently but with the liberty of choice. The world contains limited resources, which leads to society developing an economical way that provides opportunities for citizens, but they can still choose freely. People order the yellow boxes online and shop by conveyors automatically. However, the system does not produce products that don’t fit their economic plans, like customized, handmade products and vintage items. People go across the wall to get these in exchange for some essential store items. The city outside is developing organically, with stackable and movable housing units to withstand the constant flooding and insetting coastline. The access from outside to inside the wall is highly controlled, leaving people stranded outside. But despite all adversity, Angelenos have the knack to survive and make the most out of their situation as they are often seen chilling at whatever remains of the beach.
Brief
IDEO is a design company that employs designers, researchers, scientists, and MBAs from various disciplines. The company has a history of pioneering change through design, ranging from creating the first manufacturable mouse for Apple to advancing human-centered design practices. To immerse ourselves in the company's culture and process, we visited their San Francisco headquarters before starting our project. The project engaged many design disciplines at IDEO, including Business Design, Data Science, Play, Industrial Design, Communication Design, and Interaction Design, among others. The project aims to address urban futures through a narrative that fuses different disciplinary approaches.
The projects will range in scale and scope from new pricing models for spatial ownership to prototyping new toys. Through fast and scrappy projects, we will showcase how IDEO 'builds to think' across multiple scales and challenges. Ultimately, we will develop a human-centered design toolkit to be used in our final quarter architecture project as a final thesis presentation.
Subjects of the project /click to access
- Communication Design
- Software Design
- Environmental Design
