When Systems Designed for Safety No Longer Function

Yes, I’m talking about fire alarms. Specifically, when fire alarms are triggered in public spaces. I was shopping today when suddenly the fire alarm began to ring and as I looked around I realized that no one else concerned. I began to think and wonder if I should be evacuating the building. It didn’t seem like a test, but because no one else appeared to be distressed I plugged my ears and finished shopping as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until I left the building, that upon seeing the firemen running into the building, did I realize that this in reality was not a test. This brings us to question safety alarms and their impact on our realization of imminent danger.

Think about the times you have heard a fire alarm go off in a public space. Did you think it was a test? Did you think that perhaps you were not in danger because you saw no signs of immediate crisis? At what point do we stop and say that this is a problem that we need to fix?

I think it is something we need to evaluate before people are unnecessarily injured or killed because they didn’t take the signal that notifies us of danger as a serious threat. How often has major catastrophe happened due to people thinking the alarm was false, rather that it had to be false?

We need to re-think the design of the system. We need to recondition what an alarm signifies, because right now most of us think it is a false alarm.

Happy City - Charles Montgomery

A recommended read. I am only halfway through this book, but it has taken hold of me. It is an inspiring book that is important for anyone interested in the space they occupy. As citizens of cities we are responsible for making a space we can all enjoy and be happy in. 

As a student of design, I am increasingly interested in the spaces that I occupy or walk past. I am curious about how design can help influence our daily lives and how it can be used to make cities better. “Happy City” covers design issues related to the social aspects of urban design while offering ideas and solutions studied to the problems posed in the urban lifestyle choice.

I had to stop midway when I reached this quote: "It was people that made the space most interesting and worthwhile, but it took design to draw us together and slow us down just enough to transform that landscape of marble, concrete, water, and glass into a social environment" (Montgomery, 165). Montgomery and the people he describes in his book are inspiring. I hope to learn more and maybe attempt my own contribution to making the city a happy place. It only takes one, right?

thehappycity.com

Montgomery, Charles. Happy City: Transforming Our Lives through Urban Design. Canada: Doubleday Canada, 2013. Print.