Writing Design Fiction: Relocating a City in Crisis

Description

Written by leading design philosopher Tony Fry, Writing Design Fiction is both an introduction to the power of “design fiction” in the design process, and a work of fiction in itself, telling the dramatic story of the relocation of the city of Urbana. Set in the near future, Urbana, a delta city, is facing environmental catastrophe due to climate change – and the decision is made to relocate the entire city inland.  A diverse cast of voices – including an architect, a journalist, an economist, a construction worker, and residents – narrate the extraordinary challenges and complexities which follow.  This work presents a real-world scenario which may soon face many of the world’s cities, and the fictional format provides a novel way of exploring the very serious inherent technical, social, political, economic and cultural challenges. The story provides a rehearsal of the design challenges which are likely to face architects, planners, and designers in an uncertain global future. “Design fiction” is a fast-growing area within design and architecture, increasingly deployed as a serious methodology by designers as a tool in scenario planning, and this book also provides a key, critical introduction to how design fiction can be used in such circumstances and situations.  The book is divided into four parts, with the fictional part of the work bookended by further critical and analytical parts.  Part One shows how a critique of design fiction can lead to a more grounded and critical form of thinking and practice, while Parts three and four offer critical reflections on the narrative, concluding with a general summary for student and professional designers and architects of the value that design fiction can bring to the creative design process. Cover Contents Preface Acknowledgements Part 1 An Extended Prologue The metanarrative of second order design fiction Design as more than ‘design’ The work Design fiction positioned [FICTION STARTS …] Part 2 The Story of Moving Harshon: A City in Crisis Setting the scene of the fiction The story of the move (transcribed from a public event) Moving perspectives: eight voices A postscript to the event – the day of attack [… FICTION ENDS] Part 3 The Observation of Observation: A Review Putting the review in place The aim of the review The setting, or ‘how did “we” get here’? Revisiting commanding ideas Part 4 Closing and Opening: Toward the Brief The curtain falls and another story begins A schematic note toward a brief Overdetermining the instrumental Placement and design as politics Appendix Notes References Index