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If you could ask one question to all of your neighbors, what would you ask?
Live TED Conversation: Join TED Fellow Candy Chang
Candy is a public installation artist, designer, and urban planner who likes to make cities more comfortable for people. She's passionate about redefining the ways we use public space to share information that can improve our neighborhoods and our personal well-being. See more of her at http://candychang.com and http://civiccenter.cc.
This conversation will open at 3pm EST on Monday, August 1, 2011.
Topics:
Civic Engagement Live Conversation
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Bernd Fesel 30+
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Bernd Fesel 30+
anne kristoff
Bernd Fesel 30+
Candy Chang 500+
anne kristoff
Annabeth Orton
Annabeth Orton
Candy Chang 500+
Not everyone wants to be a community leader, but I know a lot of people who'd be happy to give 10 minutes a week or an hour a month (including me). And that would greatly help the passionate people trying to get great things done in their community. How do we easily tap that? Micro-tasks for volunteering?
And Annabeth - Ha what a great question. The Friendly But Mysterious Muffin Question. I think it depends on how much foot traffic passes by the muffin. In my current living context (very public with lots of drunk passers-by) I would knock on the apt door first and ask them if they left a muffin. If they say yes, then I would happily snarf it down. If I get ill, I know where they live.
anne kristoff
"My wish for Ozark?...I don't have a wish for ozark, i don't care, ozark never did anythng for me!" and so on. But other did join along.
To answer your question, I would definitely not trust the muffin.
Annabeth Orton
Candy Chang 500+
Kay-Lynne Schaller
Aaron Stackpole
Bernd Fesel 30+
Bernd Fesel 30+
this is great fun - and you meet many new people !
Annabeth Orton
Candy Chang 500+
Annabeth Orton
anne kristoff
Natasha Makowski
Y Lau
Peter Ghin
Candy Chang 500+
We each have our niche interests. How do you better connect the person who wants fresh produce with the local food co-op trying to get off the ground? How do you connect the person who wants more trees with the local green organization? How do you connect the person who wants to open a coffee shop with the local process on how to start a business? Our neighbors are great sources of information for these things - if we could easily reach out to them...
Linda Hesthag Ellwein 50+
People are so often isolated, and I often wonder if they've simply adapted to it, or the solitude is something they genuinely desire. I, rather, think they are simply fearful of taking steps to connect. Connection is so life affirming, yet sometimes so difficult to achieve.
Candy Chang 500+
Nelson Guedes
Having said that, I often watch my kids in our communal backyard, which we share with our neighbors... they often play with each others' toys and go in their friends homes. They don't believe in "property". Natives also never believed in "property". I also recently talked with a fellow from Africa and he told me that in his hometown, he can walk to anyone's house and go in, because everyone is a friend.
Noelle Matzek
Ken McManus
Dianne Timmerman
BTW: I would feel very uncomfortable if my neighbours started asking about my biggest dream, or inquiring after my core being, so I would never start with a question like that.
This despite being from a country that seems to be famous for its directness or rudeness.
Salim Solaiman 50+
That will be my only question as then only can generate enough information and learn more about what needed to be changed...........
helene cyr
Fences... defining spaces between us. I've seen it on roof tops too which is completely ludicrous. My brother reacted to this and asked hypothetically, would I be comfortable with my neighbor's massive dog play with my 2yr old? Most likely not. However, I can't help think how wonderful it would be to add our backyards together as a central space, communal gardens and bigger spaces for the children to roam freely. It's pretty simple really.
tyler burn
Ashley Nunez
Jim Moonan 30+
Rui Dias
Bernd Fesel 30+
To start re-generation very often public installation art is happening - yes, just happening because artist use the empty space. no permission needed for lost spaces in cities...
Last year however during the European Culture Capital in Ruhr this was the official strategy: Installation Art as the (artistic, social and economic) avantgarde for urban change. One art project is just stunning - the re-vitalization of a river, from dirt to living / housing at the water front for 10 Bill. Euros was led by EMSCHER.ART: About 10 art installation a long the river to integrate the so-long industrial river back in the social map of the inhabitants. Several Millions were invested in these art projects with famous and non-famous artist and we did over english subtitled 50 films about the process over the last 2 years: http://bit.ly/ljGAex
Candys talk and question about art and public space is for us at the very centre of our future. culture gives incentives business can not. One realizes this when business is really really bad and public space collapses - unfortunately it is a price to learn. I hope other cities learn quicker then we did.
Patrick Duffy
Andrea Grazzini Walstrom 30+
I'd ask them if they'd join me for a glass of wine or tea and share something about their core being. Meaning the person behind their closed doors, their car, their clothes, so to speak. Perhaps even "their story" if they're willing to share it.
My goal would be to learn about their internal character, the one behind their externally expressed characteristics. And make an authentic connection around what we both care about which might be used as scaffolding for future conversations.
A wonderful question, and wonderful to hear of your passion for public spaces.
Andrea
Luigi Vampa
Andrea Grazzini Walstrom 30+
I agree with you. I think of it as seeking the "hidden humanity" in others. In this process there is an exchange wherein each person's "hidden humanity" can reflect and absorb. So when I see another's "hidden humanity" I see more of my own. My belief is this is best achieved in personal relationships where mutual presence is the primary agenda.
Andrea
Joe Delsen 20+
This human principle always bother me:
"Your neighbors don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"
Great calling Candy!
Debra Smith 100+
Shanai Matteson
To us, these questions seemed like the basis for building relationships that could help to regenerate our cities.
We designed a new community event called Give & Take around these two questions, giving neighbors an opportunity to meet one another in a safe social space, building community around personal assets and knowledge. It's been incredible! We are now working to expand the program outside of the metropolitan Twin Cities, and are interested in developing a DIY Give & Take "kit" for neighborhoods & communities. Here's a couple of links! Would love to share what we've learned with others!
Give & Take: http://www.give-take.org/
Video Intro: http://vimeo.com/26980158
Also: Candy, we so admire your work, Thank You!
Annabeth Orton
I am really interested in the relationship between the whole web 2.0 thing (by that I mean social networking, using websites to encourage interactions, etc) and physical communities. On the one hand it seems that I have better and more frequent comtact with people in other countries than I do my own neighbours, and I can't help wonder if such sites are contributing to this... On the other hand it seems like it could be such an invaluable tool for engaging people in the first instance who would never normally be interested in arts/community practices. How can we get people to get out from behind their PCs and meet up in the real world?
Shanai Matteson
Think about it: you pass all kinds of neighbors on the street, in stores, at events -- and if you don't already have a connection, the chances that you will stop to talk with one another are slim. Especially if your perceptions prevent you from seeing beyond what you see, if you think you couldn't possibly even have anything to talk about. I think that's a lot of missed potential there, because many of your neighbors probably have fascinating ideas, skills, or energy to share! And it's likely that if you tried, you'd find something in common.
It seems as though our silos are getting bigger (more global), but they are still silos. I think there is a way to take what we love about connecting online (surprises! connections! information! Ideas!) and create real world platforms for exchange that are deeply rooted in our communities, but connected to a more global creative renaissance.
Shanai Matteson
Annabeth Orton
Another interesting artist network to keep an eye on though - I feel very encouraged that there are so many people working in these areas at the moment!
Colin Kloecker
I actually work with Shanai on Give & Take (and a bunch of other projects through http://www.worksprogress.org/), but just wanted to chime in to add that our vision for Give & Take is that it becomes kind of like a community-based TED Talks, not just for change-makers, but for everyday people who have something to share - be it a story, a hobby, a passion or even just an idea. We've started doing these events in different neighborhoods around the Twin Cities and will soon do our first event in rural Minnesota. The idea is that the content generated at the events can be fed back to a main hub online, very much like TED. Videos from the event will be shareable, allowing the live event to be a launching pad for all kinds of new connections happening online.
Which is all to say: I really believe that we have only just begun to harness social networking online for face-to-face community-building. There is so much potential here, but as Shanai points out, the key is in building real/virtual communities that bridge cultural silos rather than reinforce them.
People answer our two questions on their name tags when they come to the event: "What do you know?" and "What do you want to know?" (For example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/worksprogress/sets/72157624019736075/) But this isn't just a clever ice-breaker! We've created a whole series of games to play with the audience that are designed to get people making new connections on their own. The 1.5 hour event ends up being a mix of community-sourced presentations (you can sign up on our site: http://www.give-take.org/) and social games that get people talking to each other. Because it's not issue-based, people come from all different walks of life.
Annabeth Orton
I like the project and I can see that you have developed a 'face to face' element to it... so share the secret...? ;) How do you get people to turn up? Where do you publicise your website? How do you get people fired up to join in? Maybe that's a question with some really obvious answers but I think it's one of the first stumbling blocks to participative projects and definitely a key area to share good practice around. For myself, so far, I've had the best responses by approaching exisitng community groups. This is important and can be used to forge links between such groups but I am really interested in this mysterious goal of facilitating interactions between strangers... How do *you* do it?
Candy Chang 500+
Colin Kloecker
There is no magic bullet when it comes to community engagement. One thing that helps us is that we've been at it for quite a while. Like any creative practice, you have to actually practice it to get better at it. In this kind of work, the more you practice it, the more people know about it. People have to trust your intentions, so you have to be really good at communicating them to a lot of different kinds of people. It's taken 4+ years, but we now have an network of people interested in our programs that's over 3,000 strong and always growing.
You're absolutely right that creating authentic partnerships is so so important. As we begin to experiment with our Give & Take program in new neighborhoods and cities around Minnesota, the first thing we do is try to find a partner on the project that is as excited about creating connected communities as we are. It's actually become one of our "simple rules" that we don't do a project if we can't find a community based partner for it.
One more thing about Give & Take and why I think it's been successful so far: it's an asset-based open platform for people to fill up with all kinds of potential points of connection. You never know what's going to happen, but people always bring their best creative-selves to the night, and it's always an awesome time filled with laughter and humility. Community engagement shouldn't feel like taking your vitamins. It needs to be entertaining, and what better source for entertainment is there than ourselves?
There's so much more to say, but I'll end with this: You can still be experimental, quirky, and fun - in fact, the world desperately NEEDS "experimental, quirky, and fun" right now - but you have to be able to tell people "This is an experiment! And you know what... it might not work!" If people trust you, they will absolutely join you on the adventure.
Annabeth Orton
Anyway, I will definitely be keeping an eye on your projects, hope it goes from strength to strength!
Annabeth Orton
Luigi Vampa
Ciberbiking is a very strange thing but its possible because e all bike and share the effects in our places. Rome is a very special city to do this but in my little neighborhood some transform slow and positive. The people walk but decided to use the bike for some trips. Im not designer Im researcher in the Vaticasn Archives but our designers friends from Domus and Ferrari start a new design for an urban tricycle.
Rafi Amin 10+
jaeyun hwang
I would ask "Do you know any twenty somethings available for a blind date?"
Yes i know, it is crude but i am a single guy and that is the first question that pops into mind.
Right now my neighbors are strangers. How do you approach strangers and inquire about their family without getting stared at. Meeting in bars, clubs and churches might be a good way. Except i'm not into religion, clubbing and drinking.
A communal space for cooking, eating, exercising and entertainment would be a nice place to start. Cities are too isolationist. You are in the midst of millions of people most of which you fear are out to exploit you in one way or another.
James Turner 10+
Blessings to you
Lance Brown
Do you actually care about the lack of community in suburban living. Would you actually get involved if there was a sense of community OR are you actually just happy travelling around doing the things you want, with the friends you choose (who are spread all over the city and beyond) and so do not have time or interest for a local community life as well?
I know what I want the answer to this question to be, and I think most people would ideally agree, but in reality I think most people would fall into the latter. The question is whether that is the natural way or one that it can be re-learnt.
Candy Chang 500+
For the people who are... Who knows a neighborhood better, a place better, than the people who live and work there. We know the details that will help make it more complete, more comfortable, more ours. We know where the public transportation stop should go. We know what businesses our neighborhood needs. We know what needs fixing. And we need better tools to easily share these ideas in a way that's constructive, that will make a difference. What ways can we share info to self-organize and become effective agents in our communities?
Bernd Fesel 30+
to learn self-organizing we organize music events or joint painting. in this play group someone emerges as the leader - and he is the perfect agent later on; or the perfect admin in a social network for the community. we call this method "creative quarter".
it needs improve but it works well.
Candy Chang 500+
Bernd Fesel 30+
we think about motivation and incentives when starting community work. al have to want to be a community - by what topic ever. then we go about the difficult pain-staking duties....
here is a blog on a creative quarter in dortmund: http://bit.ly/nzjMBR
Jessica Green 200+
Another thing I would be interested to know is what my neighbors perceive that we have in common. So I would ask "What do we share"? Responses could range from stuff to values,
Candy Chang 500+
What a good question. I've never asked my neighbors if there's anything I do that bothers them… I wonder if they would be honest with me or feel the need to be polite. I wonder how their responses would be different face-to-face vs. via an anonymous page on my door. Another FB response favorite - "Does my nudity offend you?"
Jessica Green 200+
The Portland apartment we just rented for 6 months had an extraordinary smell. The stuff we just moved back to Eugene over the weekend smells like this. I wonder if it will go away. I hope so.
But I really want to know what made the smell. Is it the type of food one or more tenants were cooking? Is it building materials? Mold? A beer making endeavor?
Maybe the neighbors would know. I want to hear what they think.
Judge Pau 30+
I think what's important is not what to ask, but what you should do after you ask.
Too many people think greeting and questioning are two different thing.
They demand answer when they ask question, but when they greet they don't wait for an answer.
Connection is interactive
Connection is acknowledgement
Connection is validating
Connection is accepting
Connection
is a smile and a gaze.
Bob Van Oosterhout 20+