Re-routing the City launches on Disegno Podcasts
Re-routing the City (image: Applied)
Disegno is delighted to announce the launch of a new three-part podcast series, Re-routing the City. The podcast navigates the complexity of moving through contemporary cities and has been produced in partnership with Applied, a spatial experience design practice.
In each episode, host India Block is joined by Applied and an expert in neuroscience, wayfinding, or city planning to discuss how new research and technological developments are steering the design of urban spaces. Through these discussions, the series asks: how can we re-route our cities to be safer, more legible and enjoyable for everyone?
The podcast has been produced and hosted by Disegno, with panels curated by Applied. Across its three episodes, the show uses these conversations to explore some of the complexities involved in traversing our cities today.
1. Navigating Neuroscience and Design - We often talk about people having a “good” or “bad” sense of direction, but what does the science say? In truth, some of us navigate cities and spaces in completely different ways to others. Our brains conduct complex cognitive processes based on input from multiple senses that may help (or hinder) us in finding our way. In this episode, India Block is joined by Applied’s Tim Fendley and Kate Jeffery, a leading academic and researcher in the behavioural neuroscience of navigation, to explore this phenomenon. The trio consider what kind of interventions and choices designers, planners and architects can implement to help our brains move more smoothly through busy spaces.
2. The New Rules of the Road - Navigating through cities has become increasingly complex. E-scooters frequently raise safety concerns due to the lack of regulation around their use, while cyclists and drivers criticise each other for perceived infringements of the rules. Meanwhile, pedestrians are required to negotiate bustling pavements and unpredictable traffic. How can we create a system that allows for many different road users to co-exist harmoniously? This episode sees India Block joined by Applied’s Tim Fendley and Julia Thrift, director of Healthy Place Making at the UK’s The Town and Country Planning Association. They explore whether we need to create a new road etiquette and, if so, how this might look and function.
3. Moving in Inclusive Directions - The built world is not designed for people with physical, cognitive or intellectual disabilities, leaving our cities difficult to navigate, unwelcoming, and potentially dangerous for large parts of the population. What can be done to make moving around more inclusive for everyone, from people with dyslexia to those with dementia, from wheelchair users to the visually impaired? As cities become smarter, new navigation technologies can create opportunities to improve and prioritise safe and comfortable mobility for all. This episode examines the role of technology in designing accessibility into our urban spaces.
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Re-routing the City is made in collaboration with and supported by Applied. It is produced, edited and published by Disegno, with panels curated by Applied in consultation with Camron PR.
Re-Routing the City is published on Disegno’s podcast stream. You can also listen to it on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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