Clinton Barth : experience designer

Problem

Over the past 50 years, a strong belief has emerged that the only appropriate place to raise children in America is in the “safety” of the suburbs. However, recent reports show that today’s suburbs no longer reflect the idyllic lifestyle they once represented, while at the same time cities are becoming more vibrant and livable. Yet young parents continue to favor the suburbs when it comes to raising a family, creating urban areas with a distinct lack of young people. A growing concern among urban leaders is that cities devoid of children will be much less desirable places to live with much less secure futures—to say nothing of the tax loss from people in their peak earning years choosing to live elsewhere.

Process

When tackling a difficult problem, it is important to first make sure that you aare trying to solve the correct aspects of it. The initial problem was reframed to uncover the problem drivers, or the underlying causes of the outcome. These drivers were used to inform secondary research consisting of an era analysis, a design audit of school, housing and professional options in major metropolitan areas, and trend research. Initial strategies were formulated and precursors examined to help determine first steps.

This report is step one in a year-long process. The contextual research will be used to structure primary research consisting primarily of in-depth interviews with parents, and a collaborative workshop with field experts is scheduled for late February. Future progress will be posted here.

Download the full report: [PDF, 11.1 MB]