Farren thought that we should make our presentation a wee bit less formal and move away from entirely quoting parts of our dossier, so we altered our script a little.
The Final Script:
As urban population grows, so does the need for higher quality city spaces that offer relief from the harshness that density can bring. There is no better place to start than with city streets, arguably the most frequented shared space in the urban environment.
Studies show that pressures in the workplace mean that office and business workers are highly likely to have excessive amounts of stress.
What can we do to help alleviate the stresses of negotiating crowded sidewalks in the central business districts of cities?
This is Wiremu, a 25 year old intern at a law firm.
He is introverted, yet aspires to move up the ranks at work.
This is Craig, a 37 year old office worker at an insurance company.
He is family orientated and a creature of habit.
This is Evelyn, a 45 year old CEO for an accounting firm.
She is high-achieving and likes routine and being organised
Wiremu is walking to work. He finds the crowds stressful and he can’t clear his mind for the day ahead.
If he had positive interactions with other people on the street it might make him feel less worried about the crowd and give him a more enthusiastic mindset.
We need a way to encourage people like Wiremu to interact with others to take their minds off work and stress.
Craig is on his way to his usual cafe. He has been having a busy day and gets frustrated wasting his time waiting at the traffic lights.
Interestingly he thinks his break, and therefore his chance to unwind, is the destination, not the walk to it.
We need to provide opportunities for fun that make getting from A to B on city streets entertaining and exciting instead of irritating for people like Craig.
Look at Evelyn dashing to her lunch meeting. She clearly needs an intervention to elevate her mood and take her mind off the stress.
But surprisingly when she encounters something fun she doesn’t want to engage with it as it is outside of her routine.
We need a way to make the benefits of engaging in something humorous, outweigh the stigma that fun is unprofessional to make the city streets more refreshing for people like Evelyn.
How might we facilitate humour on city streets to encourage unexpected and fun moments of connection that reduce stress?
De-stress me
Connect me
Challenge me
Entertain me
Immerse me
Unwind me
Improve my well-being
