The Layman's Mosaic

Abstract

In Februari of 2023, The south of Turkiye was struck by a devastating earthquake, taking the life of thousands and dispossessing the homes of millions. After having spent three months in Hatay in the wake of the earthquake I have seen how by means of their culture and getting together, the people are able to find comfort. The attention towards public spaces which could provide in this is however nihil, where the focus is mainly oriented towards housing. Moreover do many architects, NGOs and other aid organizations in similar postdisaster situations, offer solutions which do not meet the demand of the users. Lastly, is there in Türkiye a ‘Culture of forgetting’, which disables them from being shielded from future adversaries. All of these issues have led to the exploration on how Spaces of Gathering (S.o.G) can be produced, which offer relief on the short term but also generate more resilience on the long term. Within this research, this has been sought for through a combined methodology of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Research through Design (RtD). This took the shape of establishing a List of Requirements (L.o.R.), of which the ambiguous parts in that list have been defined through a Participatory Design (P.D.) strategy. This resulted in a preliminary attempt towards a checklist for the production of such Spaces of Gathering, in order for them to provide in providing relief and generating resilience. The final result is succoured with an advice for the improvement of the methodology and strategy to be adapted in future endeavours. The final checklist is furthermore provided. The idea however is that this will be revised and bettered continuously.