Educator’s Guide
Design with the Other 90%: CITIES
September 14, 2012–January 7, 2013
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This guide is designed as a multidisciplinary companion for educators IN THIS GUIDE
bringing their students to view Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, on view
at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum from September 14, 2012–
Before You Visit | p.2
January 7, 2013. Our intent is to offer a range of learning objectives, In the Gallery | p.2
gallery discussions, and postvisit suggestions to stimulate the learning Collection Connections | p.5
process, encourage dialogue, and make meaning of the work presented. In the Classroom or at Home | p.6
Teachers at all grade levels should glean from this guide what is most Vocabulary | p.7
relevant and useful to their students. Vocabulary words that appear in
bold are defined at the end of the guide.
Additional Resources | p.7
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
In 2007, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
launched the groundbreaking exhibition Design for the Other 90%, which
explored innovative product designs offering solutions to the needs of
the 90% of the world’s population not traditionally served by the design
community. Building on the exhibition’s success, the Cooper-Hewitt
explored the complex issues arising from unprecedented urban growth
in the exhibition Design with the Other 90%: CITIES. The Kemper Art
Museum exhibition features objects and images from both Design for
the Other 90% and Design with the Other 90%: CITIES that celebrate the
Favela Painting. Praça Cantão, Favela Painting Project. extraordinary efforts in urban planning, sustainable design, affordable
Artists: Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn, Haas&Hahn,
with Santa Marta favela community youth. Santa Marta, housing, entrepreneurship, informal education, communication, food
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2009-10. Photo: © Haas&Hahn for
[Link]. security, water and sanitation, and public health happening in these
communities to ensure for their residents a brighter future.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTONS
Architecture, Art, Art History, Business, Chemistry, Design, Engineering, Global Studies, History,
Horticulture, International Studies, Political Science, Social Studies, Social Work, Science, Urban Design,
Urban Studies
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
All grade levels: Students will discuss the prevalence of poverty around the world and the efforts
being made to eradicate it through innovative products and urban design.
All grade levels: Students will consider issues of sustainability in design and in lifestyle, both in
developing countries and in a Western context.
Middle and high school levels: Students will examine the conditions of informal cities nationally and
internationally and consider the ways in which their needs are being addressed.
This guide was prepared by Allison Taylor, manager of education programs, and Stephanie Ruse, school and community programs
assistant. Contact Allison Taylor at [Link]@[Link] or 314.935.7918 to schedule a visit to the Museum.
BEFORE YOU VISIT
Suggested topics to explore, research, and discuss before visiting the exhibition.
ALL GRADE LEVELS
Poverty
Those who lack a certain amount of money or material possessions are said to live in poverty. The concept of poverty
varies between cultures, and the degrees of poverty can range from relative poverty, where one can provide basic needs
for him- or herself but lacks what that society deems to be socially acceptable resources, to absolute poverty, where a
person lacks the basics for daily living such as clean water, nutritional food, and access to health care and education.
Research the prevalence and causes of poverty around the world. What information surprises you the most? How does
poverty in the United States compare to poverty elsewhere? Is there absolute poverty in the United States?
Urban Design
More specifically within the field of architecture, which focuses on individual buildings, urban design focuses on the
whole city, addressing issues of scale and the grouping of buildings, public spaces, and neighborhoods. Urban design
can be used to increase the functionality of these spaces while also making them sustainable and aesthetically
engaging. Innovative urban design is needed now more than ever as countries tackle growing informal cities and
exploding populations. Consider a neighborhood or city that is familiar to you. What are some aspects of the
neighborhood that are well-designed? What areas could use improvement? What ways is your city or neighborhood
embracing sustainability?
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS
Informal Cities
In today’s vernacular, informal cities is a term used to refer to slums, shanty towns, squatter settlements, and ghettos.
These cities, particularly in emerging or developing countries, lack elements of formal infrastructure such as water and
sewage pipes, electrical and telephone lines, paved roads, and sidewalks, and they also lack services such as schools,
hospitals, markets, and retail stores. Almost one billion people live in these informal settlements, and their growth has
1
exploded in recent decades as more people leave rural areas for urban areas in hopes of a better life. Research the
growth of informal cities. What are some of the reasons people choose to leave rural areas for informal cities? What are
some moments in history when this has happened before?
IN THE GALLERY
Ideas to consider when visiting the exhibition.
ALL GRADE LEVELS
Gallery Interaction: Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit System
One of the biggest issues facing rapidly-growing urban areas is a need for public transportation, particularly in cities
like Guangzhou, China, whose population has increased by 3 million in just one decade. The Guangzhou Bus Rapid
Transit system (GBRT) demonstrates an extremely effective model for tackling these pressing transportation needs. The
GBRT system includes a 4.3-mile dedicated bus corridor that links the city center to outlying areas, integrated
scheduling with subway lines, a bike parking and sharing station, multiple large doors and flush platforms that reduce
boarding time, and preticketing options such as smart cards. The GBRT model, built very quickly and with minimal
1
See Pietro Garau, Elliott D. Sclar, and Gabriella Y. Carolina, A Home in the City: UN Millennium Project, Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum
Dwellers (London: Earthscan, 2005), 12.
2
infrastructure investment, has cut carbon emissions, increased bus speed by 30%, reduced gridlock, and reclaimed
residential public spaces. The GBRT system has been replicated in Bogotá, Mexico City, Seoul, and Johannesburg. Do
you have access to public transportation? If you were to rely on public transportation every day, what areas of the city
would you need it to connect to?
Gallery Interaction: Digital Drum: Free-Standing Internet Kiosk
Today’s world is increasingly more interconnected and interdependent, but
there are still segments of society—generally the poorest and most remote
populations—that lack access to technology for information, education, and
national services. One way this need is being met is through UNICEF’s Digital
Drums, cost-effective, simple computer kiosks set up in places like the
Treasure Life Youth Center in the Kamwokya neighborhood of Kampala,
Uganda. Built from repurposed steel oil drums, the Drums are solar-powered
and serve as an access point to underserved youth throughout Uganda.
Equipped with educational, teacher-centered videos and classroom lessons
provided by the top teachers in Uganda, these Digital Drums help fill the void
in areas where classroom teachers are absent or where children are not
attending traditional schools. Imagine a world without technology and the
Internet. How would your life be different without access to a computer? What
difference does it make that the Drums are solar-powered?
Digital Drum. Concept: Khalid Arbab (Sudan), UNICEF. Prototype 1: Jean-Marc Lefébure (Belgium), UNICEF, and
Grant Cambridge (South Africa), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Meraka. Prototype 2: Jean-Marc
Lefébure, UNICEF. Prototype 3: Seth Herr (USA) and Jean-Marc Lefébure, UNICEF. Fabrication: Jean-Marc Lefébure,
Grant Cambridge, Emmanuel Ezabo, Seth Herr, Islam Khairul, Cissy Majoli, Malik Abdul, Abdul Ahmed, Francis
Ssemukte, Hamid Bbossa, Jacob Odere, Amos Okello, Fred Kiyemba, Charles Mubiru, Fred Ssenyimba, and Henry
Samula. Partners: UNICEF, Motor Care Clinic Ltd. Kampala, Uganda, 2010-present. Steel oil drum, steel bar stock,
steel sheet, threaded bars, Plexiglas, sealant, nuts/bolts, bicycle inner-tube (seal), car inner-tube (laptop fastening),
weatherproof keyboard, laptops, solar panel (3x55W), charge controller, and battery. Photo: © UNICEF
Uganda/2010/Jean-Marc Lefébure.
Gallery Interaction: LifeStraw
About half of the world’s poor lack access to safe drinking water, leading to
thousands of deaths each day from waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera,
2
dysentery, and diarrhea. LifeStraw, a personal mobile water purification
instrument, has proven to be effective against these diseases and can turn any
water source into clean, safe drinking water. Through this device, millions of people
in Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Ghana, now have access to purified drinking
water, which reduces the widespread negative economic effects of drinking
contaminated water such as reduced personal productive time. How much water do
humans need daily? Where does your drinking water come from, and how it is
purified?
LifeStraw®. Designer: Torben Vestergaard Frandsen. Manufacturer: Vestergaard Frandsen, S. A. China and
Switzerland (current version), 2005. High-impact polystyrene (outer shell), halogen-based resin, anion exchange
resin and patented activated carbon (interior), 10 x 1" diameter. Photo: © 2005 Vestergaard Frandsen.
2
Cynthia E. Smith, Design for the Other 90% (New York: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2007), 106.
3
Gallery Interaction: Moneymaker Hip Pump
The Moneymaker Hip Pump, an invention designed and manufactured by KickStart
International, has helped to lift thousands of African farmers out of poverty. Launched in
2006, this lightweight pressure pump pulls below-ground water to irrigate almost a full
acre of farmland in an eight-hour period. Users of the Moneymaker Hip Pump have
increased their net farm income by an average of $125, tripling the amount of their initial
$34 investment in the cost of the pump in just three to four months’ time. KickStart’s
fundamental principle, as stated by founder Martin Fisher, is “to have a significant impact
on ending poverty.” In order to do so, “we need to focus on developing innovations that can
be used directly by the poor to generate new income. In other words, the devices have to
be used to produce goods or services that can be sold on the local market. In this way,
3
whoever owns the device can use it to make money.” How is this approach to ending
poverty more effective than simply distributing money or food?
MoneyMaker Hip Pump. Designers: Martin Fisher, Alan Spybey, Mohamed Swaleh, and Frederick Obudho. Manufacturer: KickStart International. Kenya and China, 2005.
Mild steel, PVC, and HDPE (high density polyethylene), 32 x 14 x 27". Photo: © Allison Jones Photography.
Gallery Interaction: Big Boda Load-Carrying Bicycle
This load-carrying bicycle, the Big Boda, enables people to carry
large loads (two passengers or two hundred pounds of cargo) at
much lower costs than other human-powered vehicles. For
entrepreneurs and consumers in developing countries, these
bicycles allow easier transport of goods to and from markets.
Developed by Worldbike, an organization “focused on designing
innovative bicycle prototypes to advance development in poor
4
countries,” Big Boda load-carrying bicycles are changing the
lives of the rural poor by providing a faster, more convenient way
to conduct business. How are goods usually transported in the
United States? How efficient would your bicycle be in carrying
heavy loads?
Big Boda Load-Carrying Bicycle. Designer: WorldBike, Adam French (first phase design), Ed Lucero with Paul Freedman, Matt Snyder, Ross Evans, Moses Odhiambo, and
Jacob (second phase). Manufacturer: WorldBike and Moses Odhiambo's workshop. Kenya, 2002-05 (first phase), 2005 (second phase). Mild steel, woven papyrus
passenger cushion, 84 x 48 x 24". Photo: © 2006 Ed Lucero.
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS
Gallery Interaction: Mahila Milan Savings Book, Shack / Slum Dwellers International
Shack / Slum Dwellers International (SDI) was formed in 1992 to give voice to the millions of people around the globe
living in slums. Members of this organization share the belief that cities have neither the capacity nor the strategies
needed to deal with current slums and the increasing number of unskilled, poor individuals moving to urban areas. SDI,
currently in thirty-four countries, facilitates dialogue among slum occupants, local government chapters, and public
and private agencies about safety, basic amenities, and livelihood in a spirit of collaboration instead of fear and
hostility. One of SDI’s initiatives is a savings and loan program, which helps participants learn to manage money and
establish rules for lending to each other. Participating families and individuals receive a savings book that is both
functional and symbolic of their membership in the program. How is learning to manage money empowering? Who
manages the finances of your household? Do you have your own bank account?
3
Martin Fisher, “Design to Kickstart Incomes,” Design for the Other 90%, 34.
4
See [Link].
4
Incremental Housing: BEFORE (left) and AFTER (right). Architects: Alejandro Aravena, Tomás Cortese, Emilio de la Cerda, Andrés Iacobelli, and Alfonso Montero,
Elemental (Chile). Engineers: José Gajardo and Juan Carlos de la Llera. Urbanization specialist: Proingel and Abraham Guerra. Construction: Loga S.A. Client: Chile Barrio.
Iquique, Chile, 2003-4. Concrete, brick concrete, and wood panels. Photo: © Elemental.
Gallery Interaction: Incremental Housing
Low-cost subsidized housing tends to be poorly constructed and far from amenities like public transportation, work,
education, and health care. In addition, these types of homes are usually not built to appreciate in value. Countries such
as Chile and Mexico, working with the Chilean architecture firm Elemental, are trying a new approach to low-cost
housing called Incremental Housing. Architects construct the more costly half of the home, including the bathroom,
kitchen, and roof, leaving the residents responsible for adding to the home when they are financially able. Incremental
Housing provides quality, safe housing with a possibility for increased market value for their homes in the future.
What’s the relationship between safe housing and improving other aspects of life? Would the Incremental Housing
model work in the United States?
COLLECTION CONNECTIONS
Explore these connections to artworks on view in the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum’s permanent collection.
Dan Peterman, Accessories to an Event, 2006
Like many of the designers in Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, artist
Dan Peterman (b. 1960) uses the process of adaptive reuse, or altering
postconsumer materials, to create something new and functional. The
six benchlike units on the Florence Steinberg Weil Sculpture Plaza are
made of reprocessed plastics and stainless steel hardware. Situated
among other sculptures, the benches are three-dimensional art
objects, but their title, Accessories to an Event, implies that they are
meant to be used and enjoyed for a larger purpose involving the
community. For what “event” could they be used? In what ways could
museum visitors and the local neighborhood interact with these
sculptures? What role do community spaces play in urbanized areas?
Dan Peterman, Accessories to an Event, 2006. Postconsumer reprocessed plastics and stainless steel hardware, dimensions variable. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum,
Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase, Bixby Fund, and with funds from the Weil Family, 2006.
5
David Goldblatt, Abandoned farmhouse near Molteno, Eastern Cape and In the KatKat Valley, near Fort
Beaufort, both 2006
David Goldblatt (b. 1930) is known for his photographs of South African landscapes documenting economic hardships
and racial inequality. These color photographs, which depict rural landscapes with such details as barbed wire fences,
abandoned farmhouses, and a political poster for the African National Congress, hint at the complexities of
postapartheid politics. Many townships (the South African term for slums) and informal settlements still exist from the
5
apartheid era, and families often rent out their backyards to squatters in crowded areas. While there are no figures in
these photographs, what do they communicate about the people who live or work in these areas? How can art be used
to advocate for social justice? How might the challenges of rural poverty be similar to and different than urban poverty?
Left: David Goldblatt, Abandoned farmhouse near Molteno, Eastern Cape, 25 February 2006. Digital print on 100 percent rag cotton paper in pigment inks, 2/10, 36 x 44".
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase, Yalem Fund, 2006.
Right: David Goldblatt, In the Katkat Valley, near Fort Beaufort, 23 February 2006. Digital print on 100 percent rag cotton paper in pigment inks, 2/10, 31 1/2 x 39 3/4".
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase, Yalem Fund, 2006.
IN THE CLASSROOM OR AT HOME
Follow your visit to the Museum with one or more of these suggested activities.
Watch either the film Urbanized, a 2011 documentary about the design of cities, or The End of Poverty?, a 2008 film
6
on the causes of poverty, and discuss what you learned from the film.
Research local poverty. What are causes and effects of poverty in your area? What efforts are being made to
eliminate it?
In teams, research and design a product that could help those living in poverty. Be sure to factor in costs,
accessibility, and maintenance of the product. What challenges did you face? What role can design play in
addressing social issues such as poverty and the global depletion of resources?
Research the history and effects of urbanization in your area.
Research local homelessness and informal settlements. In teams, come up with a list of practical ideas to improve
the lives of the homeless in your area. Make plans to activate at least one of the ideas.
Consider the design elements in your own home and work space. Are they sustainable?
5
Cynthia E. Smith, Design with the Other 90%: CITIES (New York: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2011), 24.
6
The End of Poverty? is available in full at [Link] courtesy of [Link].
6
VOCABULARY
1. Amenity – a feature that provides comfort, convenience, or fulfills a basic need.
2. Entrepreneur – a person who organizes and manages an enterprise, especially a business, usually with
considerable initiative and risk.
3. Informal cities – term used to refer to slums, shanty towns, squatter settlements, and ghettos; almost one
billion people live in these informal settlements.
4. Infrastructure – the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities, such as buildings, roads, and
power supplies needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
5. Innovative – featuring new methods; advanced and original.
6. Irrigate – to supply water to land or crops to help growth.
7. Poverty – the state of lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a
society.
8. Sustainable – conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.
9. Urban design – the process of designing and shaping the buildings and public spaces of cities, towns, and
villages.
10. Urbanization – the increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas, and the process by which an
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Books
- Cynthia E. Smith, Design with the Other 90%: CITIES (New York: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2011).
- Cynthia E. Smith, Design for the Other 90% (New York: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2007).
Films
- The End of Poverty?, directed by Philippe Diaz, 2008.
- Urbanized, directed by Gary Hustwit, 2011.
- Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance, directed by Godfrey Reggio, 1982.
Online
- Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, [Link]
- “Resources,” Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, [Link]
- KickStart International, [Link].
- WorldBike, [Link].
- Shack / Slum Dwellers International, [Link]
- “LifeStraw,” Vestergaard Fransen Disease Control Textiles, [Link]
Design with the Other 90%: CITIES is organized by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s curator of socially
responsible design, Cynthia E. Smith. It is adapted for the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum by Peter MacKeith, adjunct associate
curator of architecture & design at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum and associate dean and associate professor of
architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. The exhibition’s presentation at the United Nations was sponsored by
Citi. Generous support was provided by The Rockefeller Foundation. Additional funding was provided by Procter & Gamble, Deutsche
Bank, Smithsonian 2.0 Fund, the Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution's Research Opportunity Fund.
Support for the exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is generously provided by I-CARES at Washington University in St.
Louis; the Charles and Bunny Burson Art Fund at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts; the Missouri Arts Council, a state
agency; James M. Kemper, Jr.; the David Woods Kemper Memorial Foundation; John and Anabeth Weil; the Hortense Lewin Art Fund;
and members of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Further generous support is provided by additional units of Washington
University: the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration, the Institute for Public Health, the
Center for Social Development, and the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.