If spaces could talk what would they say - Spatial communication and Representation in Landscape Architecture

<p>An important component of landscape architecture is its ability to represent processes of re-imagining and designing the places we live in. The way we represent these processes of designing landscape presents an interesting opportunity for change in the current planning mechanisms of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Planning processes, such as engagement and consultation with the public, play a critical role in our ability to design the places we work and live successfully. These processes are often complex as they seek to address a wide range of technical, political, social and environmental issues. In all there complexity it is most often the task of engaging with community which is the first to be abandoned. Meaningful community engagement is critical to the success of any public project and needs to be better understood with regards to access and agency. If done well, community engagement has the ability to create good social outcomes and can lead to a greater sense of collective ownership. Landscape Architecture has the capability to bridge the gap between planning, public space, and communities by endeavouring to re-conceptualise the current approach toward community engagement processes. Current approaches to engagement in planning remain relatively formal and most often rely solely on written modes of public participation such as submissions. Spatial methods of communication are yet to be explored and tested in community engagement and provide an opportunity to reach marginalised communities, who are often missed in the current processes. This research identifies Kilbirnie as a suburb on the brink of significant spatial and social change. Based upon its spatial proximity to Wellington’s CBD, its growing and diversifying community, Kilbirnie presents a contentious site for future planning. The aim of this research is to expand traditional engagement mechanisms by using spatial mediums which provoke, and in turn, create meaningful community participation in the long term planning of Kilbirnie. This thesis will test the spatial as an effective medium for planning communication through a series of installations in Kilbirnie. The installations will be tested in sites that offer different typological qualities in order to understand how existing infrastructure can aid in the processes of spatial communication and engagement. This research argues that through installation and spatial communication it is possible to transform traditional forms of representation in planning and the attitudes of communities toward engaging with planning.</p>

If spaces could talk what would they say - Spatial communication and Representation in Landscape Architecture

<p>An important component of landscape architecture is its ability to represent processes of re-imagining and designing the places we live in. The way we represent these processes of designing landscape presents an interesting opportunity for change in the current planning mechanisms of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Planning processes, such as engagement and consultation with the public, play a critical role in our ability to design the places we work and live successfully. These processes are often complex as they seek to address a wide range of technical, political, social and environmental issues. In all there complexity it is most often the task of engaging with community which is the first to be abandoned. Meaningful community engagement is critical to the success of any public project and needs to be better understood with regards to access and agency. If done well, community engagement has the ability to create good social outcomes and can lead to a greater sense of collective ownership. Landscape Architecture has the capability to bridge the gap between planning, public space, and communities by endeavouring to re-conceptualise the current approach toward community engagement processes. Current approaches to engagement in planning remain relatively formal and most often rely solely on written modes of public participation such as submissions. Spatial methods of communication are yet to be explored and tested in community engagement and provide an opportunity to reach marginalised communities, who are often missed in the current processes. This research identifies Kilbirnie as a suburb on the brink of significant spatial and social change. Based upon its spatial proximity to Wellington’s CBD, its growing and diversifying community, Kilbirnie presents a contentious site for future planning. The aim of this research is to expand traditional engagement mechanisms by using spatial mediums which provoke, and in turn, create meaningful community participation in the long term planning of Kilbirnie. This thesis will test the spatial as an effective medium for planning communication through a series of installations in Kilbirnie. The installations will be tested in sites that offer different typological qualities in order to understand how existing infrastructure can aid in the processes of spatial communication and engagement. This research argues that through installation and spatial communication it is possible to transform traditional forms of representation in planning and the attitudes of communities toward engaging with planning.</p>

Reference frames in spatial communication for navigation and sports: an empirical study in ultimate frisbee players

Background Reference frames ground spatial communication by mapping ambiguous language (for example, navigation: “to the left”) to properties of the speaker (using a Relative reference frame: “to my left”) or the world (Absolute reference frame: “to the north”). People’s preferences for reference frame vary depending on factors like their culture, the specific task in which they are engaged, and differences among individuals. Although most people are proficient with both reference frames, it is unknown whether preference for reference frames is stable within people or varies based on the specific spatial domain. These alternatives are difficult to adjudicate because navigation is one of few spatial domains that can be naturally solved using multiple reference frames. That is, while spatial navigation directions can be specified using Absolute or Relative reference frames (“go north” vs “go left”), other spatial domains predominantly use Relative reference frames. Here, we used two domains to test the stability of reference frame preference: one based on navigating a four-way intersection; and the other based on the sport of ultimate frisbee. We recruited 58 ultimate frisbee players to complete an online experiment. We measured reaction time and accuracy while participants solved spatial problems in each domain using verbal prompts containing either Relative or Absolute reference frames. Details of the task in both domains were kept as similar as possible while remaining ecologically plausible so that reference frame preference could emerge. Results We pre-registered a prediction that participants would be faster using their preferred reference frame type and that this advantage would correlate across domains; we did not find such a correlation. Instead, the data reveal that people use distinct reference frames in each domain. Conclusion This experiment reveals that spatial reference frame types are not stable and may be differentially suited to specific domains. This finding has broad implications for communicating spatial information by offering an important consideration for how spatial reference frames are used in communication: task constraints may affect reference frame choice as much as individual factors or culture.

Polar Polarization Mode and Average Radical Flux Intensity Measurements Based on All Optical Spatial Communication Systems

This study presents the polar polarization mode and average radical intensity flux distribution measurements based on all optical spatial communication systems. The numerical technique that is applied with the simulation model is the diffraction fast Fourier integral transform. Spatial optical sources are used such as continuous wave (CW) laser and vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with spatial connector and spatial aperture. Spatial temporal polarization effects are taken into account. Percentage encircled flux/average flux radical intensity and polar radical polarization are measured with spatial connector distance and spatial aperture width. The encircled flux is constant at 95 % of its value in the case of VCSEL laser source at a radical distance of exactly 10 μm. However, the encircled flux is constant at 92 %of its value in the case of CW laser source at a radical distance of exactly 6 μm. It is noticed that the encircled flux increases with increasing radial distance of spatial apertures that are used with two suggested light sources. The encircled flux is constant at 93 % of its value in the case of VCSEL laser source at a radical distance of exactly 10 μm.

Reference frames in spatial communication for navigation and sports: An empirical study in ultimate frisbee players

Background: Reference frames ground spatial communication by mapping ambiguous language (for example, navigation: “to the left”) to properties of the speaker (using a body-based reference frame: “to my left”) or the world (environment-based reference frame: “to the north”). People’s preferences for reference frame vary depending on factors like their culture, the specific task in which they are engaged, and differences among individuals. Although most people are proficient with both reference frames, it is unknown whether preference for reference frames is stable within people or varies based on the specific spatial domain. These alternatives are difficult to adjudicate because navigation is one of few spatial domains that can be naturally solved using multiple reference frames. That is, while spatial navigation directions can be specified using environment-based or body-based reference frames (“go north” vs. “go left”), other spatial domains predominantly use body-based reference frames. Here, we used two domains to test the stability of reference frame preference – one based on navigating a four-way intersection, the other based on the sport of ultimate frisbee. We recruited 58 ultimate frisbee players to complete an online experiment. We measured reaction time and accuracy while participants solved spatial problems in each domain using verbal prompts containing either body- or environment-based reference frames. Details of the task in both domains were kept as similar as possible while remaining ecologically plausible so that reference frame preference could emerge. Results: We pre-registered a prediction that participants would be faster using their preferred reference frame type, and that this advantage would correlate across domains; we did not find such a correlation. Instead, the data reveal that people use distinct reference frames in each domain. Conclusion: This experiment reveals that spatial reference frame types are not stable and may be differentially suited to specific domains. This finding has broad implications for communicating spatial information by offering an important consideration for how spatial reference frames are used in communication: task constraints may affect reference frame choice as much as individual factors or culture.