Reflections on Binational Urbanism
nb: this post was originally published on an earlier version of this site on August 8, 2016.
I recently wrote this review of Binational Urbanism (by Bernd Upmeyer), an interesting book that I think presents a great model of what qualitative research methods can do for enhancing urban design and spatial and architectural practices. It's a masterclass, really, and Upmeyer's book is worth reading twice because it will overhaul how you approach user-centered design in your practice.
In my review, I talk about how Upmeyer's framing of binational urbanism maps out in terms of Fauconnier & Turner's (2012) approach to conceptual blending. To my knowledge, this is the first published application of blending to cultural evolution and its implications for urban design. Read the review to see how the basics of conceptual blending apply directly to design ethnography and the analysis of users in experience design. I leave a lot of the blanks unfilled, but if you want help seeing how blending fits with your research, get in touch.
Also, I want to thank Archinect.com for publishing the piece.