Interiorism as a Means to Go Forward in Designing for the Adaptable City

Snyder, A. B.

In the context of the city, we must-especially today-study the types of places cities present as public, free and open. To re-think the notion of the urban public sphere, a focus on interiorism expands and deepens the awareness and perception of how urban forms, materials, and the senses interact, to invite various behaviors. This essay presents a pedagogy that extends interior and architectural design practice and theory, through multidisciplinary and multi-site research. A course created by the author called New Interior Urbanism, included a series of local and global urban interior research scenarios to study how streets, parks, plazas, and markets normally considered urban exteriors, should be understood as interiors. Along with on site and virtual fieldwork, a multi-disciplinary reading list informed student opinions;while, the addition of a COVID-19 pandemicinfluenced Sketch Problem/Charrette asked for contemplating interior-based, forwardthinking attitudes to create hypothetical adaptations for existing global public urban spaces, with social/physical distancing strategies. Planned and unplanned course explorations yielded new realizations about: Distinguishing interiorism within urban public places;pondering how individuals and the collective navigate, experience and witness freedom in public space;and, how to consider designing in this dynamic era, and beyond. © 2021 Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos. All rights reserved.