Sarah Wong

Center people and relationships at every point in the process to build public trust.

How will the shifts from ownership to access, but also from productive to reproductive work affect society at large and design in particular? How will these shifts redefine the notion of the individual, community and society, and their respective relations?

Here are the four key principles Lofland identifies as enabling smooth interaction (or non-interaction) among strangers in public spaces:

1. Civil Inattention

• Definition : The practice of acknowledging the presence of others while deliberately avoiding sustained attention or intrusion.


• Example : Making brief eye contact with someone walking past yo

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Seek to discover common interests and areas of agreement by focusing more on why than what, more on personal experiences than positions.

There is no quicker way to end a conversation or escalate to conflict than to start spouting facts. In general, facts should not be your first line of defense, even if they are your initial go-to. Research shows p... See more

Mutual aid has been ubiquitous in indigenous communities and examples can be found throughout history such as medieval craft guilds, American fraternity societies that existed during the Great Depression (providing health and life insurance and funeral benefits). In more recent times, mutual aid organizations, projects and initiatives have formed a... See more

The Niche : this micro systems level consists of individual actors, technologies, and local practices.

In a recent report, “Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life,” we found that nearly a quarter of Americans without degrees report having no close friends, compared to 10 percent of Americans who completed college.