Eliza Davey, boundar[ie]spaces [×]

The urgency to save our planet requires an all-in global effort. Through developing my environmental awareness I came to realise there is a need for this knowledge to be accessible by everyone. This requires conversation about the climate emergency to be had in every country, neighbourhood and household. Our current way of life needs to be questioned, and individuals empowered to act and have agency in change.
Can an interior design practice support communities to make positive environmental change by encouraging conversation, connection and care?
This research project explores how localised environmental action at a neighbourhood level could lead to meaningful change. By connecting existing environmental care groups with neighbourhood communities this project is intended to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and resources to generate action. The design aims to do this by re-establishing individuals connection with their own backyard. Instead of idly waiting for systemic change, local action is fostered through a community of care at a neighbourhood level.
A practice of diagramming, digital and physical modelling and photography are used to explore the relationship between the urban and natural environments. This interrogation has revealed strategies for strengthening connections between domestic interiors and nature.
The design proposal offers up a space which meets the immediate needs of an environmental community action group and provides public amenity to encourage engagement. Situated on an existing vacant lot the site will be revegetated with indigenous flora. Leading by example to generate conversation around gardening, composting and reduction of consumption it is hoped that this will foster broader neighbourhood engagement with bigger issues like the regeneration of coastal areas, restoring of biodiversity and caring for local ecosystems. As one of many nodes, this design could help push the change we need.