STICKY POCKETS
inspiration
In “The High-Modernist City: An Experiment and Critique” by James Scott, they employ the idea of “functional segregation” meaning that there would be only one function per zone in his urban plan (109). For example, they mention how they value the “complete separation of pedestrian traffic from vehicle traffic and, beyond that, the segregation of slow from fast-moving vehicles” (109). Under this framework of planning it is easier to plan into the future knowing that area is devoted to only one use; it removes complexity.
design
Sticky Pockets are removable pockets that you can stick onto any pair of leg wear. These pockets are not only to be attached to leg wear that don’t have pockets, but also to organize your personal contents. With Sticky Pockets you can have a pocket for your keys, one for writing utensils, another for your mobile device, and one for your wallet. This compartmentalization will make organizing your personal items easy and convenient.
critique
If this design were to exist in a world, people would need to value being organized, they would need to have a culture where clothing with a lot of pockets is not trending, and also this world will need to still have technology that is not all in one. For example, a phone that is also your house key, your car key, and your money. For this idea to have a market people would need to carry around a lot of personal items. People would also need to have good memory to rememebr what is inside each of their pockets or else they may end up mixing up the pockets for convenience.
takeaway
Reflecting on the design and the idea presented in the reading the author fails to recognize that humans are bound to make mistakes regardless of the structures that are put into place. Whether it be because of faulty memory or convene, people are bound to mix up the segregation of function in a city. It may be ideal to have “functional segregation”, but this implies that the city needs to be understood from a third person perspective, which is not always true. If the city takes shape organically, the residents of the city will determine their own way of organizing the city. An example of this organic sorting system is Amazon’s chaotic storage system where things are stored without a specific location but can still be retrieved when requested. There is such thing as an organized disaster.
Scott, James C., 1998. The High Modernist City. In Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, pp. 103-146. New Haven: Yale University Press.