Public Participation: Processes and Outcomes in the Planning and Design of Public Libraries

Abstract

Public projects, such as city halls, schools, and public libraries, are designed everyday by architects working in a conventional mode of practice. Such architectural work for the public can also be considered the domain of architects working in a community design mode of practice, which, historically, has been labeled an alternative mode of practice. This is an interesting area of overlap where the project context, something very public, would fit a community design practice emphasizing a public, participatory process, but due to scale and complexity, is usually done by firms operating through a conventional practice emphasizing the design of the building (product), but less so the building’s response to the socio-cultural context (outcome).

This overlap in modes of practice has led to this dissertation’s use of a two-phase research design utilizing public libraries as the vehicle to investigate public participation through conventional practice. The goals of the first phase were to establish: 1) which participatory processes were employed; and 2) at what points in the design process they occurred. A survey questionnaire was used to identify the range of participatory processes employed by architects in 162 public library projects within the United States, completed between July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2012. Data from 60 public library projects was sufficient to conduct analyses using both multidimensional scaling (MDS) and cluster analysis to establish a typological analysis of the architect-submitted, planning and design processes.

The second phase of research entailed in-depth explanatory case studies of four public library projects, selected from the typological analysis. The four libraries (located in Vestavia Hills, AL; Boerne, TX; Silver Lake, CA; and Washington, D.C.) were designed by conventional practice firms, but examined through the lens of community design practice. The goals of this second phase were: 1) to explore how the various types of participatory processes impacted both the physical design and the cultural outcomes of each case study project; and 2) to provide guidance for the use of participatory processes in the design of public libraries as well as other building types.

Findings from the first phase of this research reveal that most public participation occurs in relatively formal or controlled formats such as architect presentations, building committees, and Q+A sessions. These participatory formats are utilized primarily in the earliest phases of design (i.e. preliminary design, programming, and design development) and largely for consultative purposes as opposed to either informative or decision-making purposes.

Findings from the second phase of this research demonstrate that architects working in conventional practices are, to differing degrees, designing successful library buildings – as physical products. However, they are less consistently successful in creating buildings that effectively engage the socio-cultural contexts within which their buildings are situated. This suggests that architects will need: 1) to employ more effective tools to gain a better understanding of the socio-cultural context in which their design projects are embedded; and 2) to craft more reflective public participation processes in order to meet the needs of that context. Recommendations for more effective engagement with the public in public building projects are offered, with a special focus on architects employed in conventional practice.