design-us-in: making (public) space for and with teens in Aotearoa New Zealand, through an activist and advocacy led social design practice

Third spaces, the in-between of school and home, hold high value for teenagers giving them the space to develop independence and identity while they’re in an in-between time in their lives. However, teens inhabiting public space are often regarded with suspicion by adults, and there is a shortfall of supportive, sheltered and socially safe destination third spaces for teens in Wellington, made worse since the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake triggered the closure of the Central Library and Readings cinema complex. By not actively designing teens into the city, we are effectively designing them out. Rangatahi, teenagers and young people, are underserved by the city, and they don’t hold the social or economic power that would allow them to influence the change they deserve. And so this research asks: how might a social design practice operate as advocacy and activism to support teens? How can rangatahi be given the agency to design-themselves-in to public space?

This research is situated in the discipline of social design, and uses a research-through-design methodology, informed by the collaborative, community centred design approaches of co-design and Tactical Urbanism. A social design practice was explored and developed throughout the research, learning how to adapt to the needs and desires of rangatahi, and make space for them to share their experiences and just be themselves. The design response centred process over a design ‘outcome’, to experiment with creative tools and methods (including workshops, public events and surveys) for engaging with Wellington teens and rangatahi, in order to learn from their lived experience, and invite them to a collective re-imagining of a better future city. Key findings, such as: a desire for social safety, accessible and adaptable physical spaces, care for sustainability and green spaces, and the value of social interaction, were made evident through the community engagement. These learned perspectives were actioned and amplified through submissions to the Wellington City Council—community voices turned into community impact. The research developed an advocacy and activism led social design kaupapa for working with teens, that centres them in the design process, and works to advocate for their needs. This social design kaupapa challenges the power structures of traditional design processes, by changing who gets designed-in, how design plays out, and the role of the designer.