THE ADAPTIVE CITY

Redefining public spaces as centres for collaboration and environmental awareness.

Duration: 3 weeks

Category: Innovative solution

Role: Researcher, UX Designer

Introducing The Adaptive City

The Adaptive City is an innovative human-centred design project that enhances public spaces to address Bangkok’s urban challenges. It promotes sustainability, community connection, and cultural integration through creative solutions and engaging experiences, redefining public spaces as centres for collaboration and environmental awareness.

The Ask

We sought to design innovative urban solutions for Bangkok that enhance coexistence in public spaces by fostering community connection and promoting environmental awareness. These solutions address the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation and environmental pressures while celebrating the city’s unique cultural identity.

What We Know About Bangkok’s Public Spaces

Public spaces in Bangkok are underutilized due to a combination of urbanisation and environmental challenges. Many residents express concerns about safety, cleanliness, and overcrowding.

Learning From Existing Public Spaces

Bangkok's public spaces are underutilised due to a combination of urbanisation and environmental challenges. Many residents express concerns about safety, cleanliness, and overcrowding.

Our research included:

Qualitative Interviews: Conducted with locals and foreigners aged 25–45 in parks, markets, and malls to gather diverse perspectives.
Data Synthesis: Analysis of behaviours, preferences, and challenges related to public space usage.

Participant Demographics: A mix of middle- to high-income professionals, including entrepreneurs, designers, and corporates, from Thailand, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Taiwan.

We analyzed various public spaces in Bangkok, including parks, markets, and co-working hubs, to understand how they cater to residents and visitors. While some spaces promote social interaction and relaxation, many face challenges such as poor maintenance, limited facilities, and a lack of engaging activities that connect people to environmental issues.

Bangkok’s residents value clean, safe, and well-maintained spaces that foster a sense of community. However, few public areas effectively combine cultural expression, environmental education, and user engagement.

Distilling research into User Archetype

The Hesitant Environmentalist	(Primary)

"I care about the environment, but I’m just not sure where to start or if my efforts would even count."

Pain Points	Workaround
Overwhelmed by the scale of environmental issues	Seeks guidance on small, actionable steps to make a meaningful difference.
Feels unsure about the impact of their actions	Gains inspiration from peers or community-led campaigns that showcase tangible results.
Lacks confidence in their knowledge of sustainability	Uses accessible resources or attends community workshops to build understanding and involvement.

The Eco-Advocate

""True change starts at the grassroots level—every action counts, and I want to inspire others to join the movement."

Pain Points	Workaround
Limited recognition for their environmental initiatives	Builds partnerships with like-minded advocates and shares successes through social platforms.
Struggles to scale their community projects	Leverages local events and digital tools to amplify impact and engagement.
Needs continuous learning and inspiration	Participates in knowledge-sharing events and collaborates with established organisations.

The Unconcerned Citizen

"If it doesn’t impact my daily life, I don’t see why I should worry about it."

Pain Points	Workaround
Sees environmental issues as distant concerns	Introduced to how these issues directly affect their lifestyle through relatable, localized campaigns.
Prefers convenience over effort	Participates in low-commitment activities like app-based gamified challenges or quick clean-up events.
Unmotivated by global impact narratives	Engages with small, achievable actions that offer immediate personal or community benefits.

How might we design public spaces that celebrate local culture, inspire community pride, encourage social interaction, and foster a sense of shared responsibility among people in Bangkok?

The user journey begins with encountering an IoT-enabled Yak mascot kiosk in a public space or mobile app

Discovering the Initiative: The mascot highlights nearby tree-planting events and their environmental impact.

Learning About the Activity: Users explore detailed event information, including location, time, and steps to participate, displayed in an engaging and easy-to-understand format.

Taking Action: The user registers for the initiative and receives reminders or notifications to stay updated.

Tracking Contributions: After participation, the user can digitally monitor their impact through visuals and updates, reinforcing a sense of accomplishment.

Concept Idea

Creating an INTERACTIVE mascot that reflects Bangkok’s environmental changes, encouraging citizens to raise awareness and engage in environmental initiatives

We offer a seamless phygital (physical + digital) experience that empowers people in Bangkok to get environmental awareness and join together for sustainable urbanization.

Unlike other initiatives, we care about target users’ emotional comfort and ease, so we deliver our solution to them in a delightful and intuitive way.

MEET “YAK” OUR MASCOT

Yak, inspired by Thailand's rich mythology, serves as our interactive mascot, embodying the spirit of environmental change. As a symbol of strength and guardianship, Yak encourages communities to take action and protect our precious environment for future generations.

Yak reflects Bangkok’s environmental changes through its expressions, responding to factors like air pollution and UV index levels to raise awareness in real-time.

When donations for tree planting are made at nearby kiosks, Yak's mood instantly brightens, celebrating the donor's contribution and showcasing their impact on making Bangkok greener.

LET’S Join Yak on this exciting journey towards a greener, more sustainable urban landscape!

Key Learning

The key learning from The Adaptive City project is the importance of fostering community-driven involvement and integrating environmental awareness into everyday urban experiences. By focusing on both cultural relevance and sustainability, we created solutions that engage residents and encourage active participation in preserving and improving public spaces. Our design emphasizes interactive experiences, localized solutions, and collaborative action, ensuring that Bangkok's residents are empowered to make a tangible impact on their environment. Through this approach, we learned that urban innovation can thrive when it aligns with the values and behaviours of local communities.

TL;DR

There is a significant opportunity to reimagine public spaces in Bangkok, transforming them into dynamic hubs for community engagement and environmental action. By integrating interactive technology, cultural expression, and sustainability efforts, The Adaptive City aims to foster a stronger connection between residents and their urban environment.

Thanks to the Team

We couldn’t have accomplished this without the invaluable guidance of our mentor, Hiram Aragon (Lead Designer at Frog Design), who provided insights into human-centred design, and the support of our teammates. Our team, consisting of Thewa, Bo, Min, Moses (Me), Sharan, and Yarzar, brought together diverse perspectives and skills, working collaboratively to develop this innovative project despite the challenges.

About Me

A Bangkok-based UX/UI designer passionate about creating inclusive, user-friendly digital experiences. With 8+ years of creative and graphic design expertise, I’ve learned that great design is not just beautiful—it’s accessible and solves real problems for all users. My superpower? Listening deeply to feedback and crafting thoughtful solutions that meet both user and business needs.

Let’s collaborate and turn your digital vision into impactful experiences.

Let’s catch up!

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