Megan Milano
design-us-in: 2.0
This research will build upon previous findings found during my masters research, design-us-in: making (public) space for and with teens in Aotearoa New Zealand, through an activist and advocacy led social design practice. This project will continue to develop my design practice, as well as expand the research scope to encompass different sized communities and explore what working alongside rangatahi in Wellington, New Zealand and in the United States looks like.
design-us-in looks at how 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 and Newtown, Connecticut, USA. By not actively designing teens into the community, we are effectively designing them out. Rangatahi, teenagers and young people, are often underserved by their communities, and they don’t hold the social or economic power that would allow them to influence the change they deserve.
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 masters research and will be expanded throughout the duration of the PhD research as it adapts to the needs and desires of rangatahi, making space for them to share their experiences and just be themselves. The design process will be prioritized over the design outcome, experimenting with creative tools and methods (such as workshops, public events, and surveys) to engage with rangatahi, learn from their lived experiences, and collectively work alongside each other. An advocacy and activism led social design kaupapa, developed in my master's research, will be carried on throughout this project, centering rangatahi in the design process, and advocating 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.
Supervisor
Previous Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts: Champlain College - Burlington, Vermont, USA - May 2019
Master of Design Innovation: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington - December 2024