Author:

Keywords:

Design education, Lee-places, sound, Urban health and well-being

Abstract:

Public spaces where peace and quiet can be experienced are important for the development of qualitative urban environments. The term ‘lee-places’ is used to refer to public (green) spaces where experiences of peace and quiet bring a balance to the busyness of a city (Peymen and Jellema 2017). Lee-places have particular spatial qualities and offer opportunities for individual experiences and social interactions, potentially benefitting mental health. They can contribute to well-being, social cohesion, equitable access to urban life and community resilience. To identify potential sites and accommodate lee-places, (interior) architects bring a design-skillset to consider factors that affect sensory experience and body posture(s). Simultaneously, urban planners may consider the integration of lee-places in a coherent network at the scale of a neighbourhood. We present results of an education-based design research project organised in 2022 in the Muide-Meulestede neighbourhood of Ghent, Belgium. Students from an interior architecture studio were involved, alongside architecture and urban planning students. Designs are generated with the aim to explore and discuss existing, not-yet-recognised and potential lee-places. Design proposals focus on particular sites and on interventions that can be applied to a wider variety of sites. Through an analysis of the design proposals and interactions and collaborations stimulated throughout this project, our contribution illustrates how this course scaffolds interdisciplinarity and a rich understanding of the potential of lee-places. Students acts as ‘intermediary’, utilising design(s) to discuss social contexts with neighbourhood residents, property owners, policy makers and professionals to strengthen the societal support for lee-places in urban contexts.