Zoekresultaten

Who is included? A Mapping of inclusive fashion on Instagram

This contribution applies the research approach of issue mapping to the topic of inclusivity in fashion. Issue mapping concerns the cartography of urgent social topics, through digital and visual research methods. In this mapping, we turn to the online platform of Instagram and ask: what or who is included when fashion becomes inclusive? By querying the platform of Instagram (through the tool Crowdtangle) for the most-engaging posts on inclusive fashion for the timeframe of 2012-2021, we are able to study a developing online space to represent and discuss inclusivity and adjacent issues such as diversity in fashion. We find that inclusivity in fashion prioritizes customers and models over the fashion production workforce and foregrounds women over men and other gender identities. Since the beginning, inclusivity has called for different abilities and ethnicities. Still, it is not until 2020 that designers and models of color are front and center to the inclusive fashion space on Instagram.

Roots en Route: enhancing heritage and inclusivity.

Roots en Route: enhancing heritage and inclusivity.

Regional Scan of the Current State of Gender Inclusivity

Reinforcing the inclusivity of spatial planning processes for a sustained impact of urban renewal programs in Amsterdam

As in many large European Cities, Amsterdam is confronted with a large housing boom, partially fuelled by shortcomings in (affordable) housing development. Simultaneously, there is a persistent need to improve neighbourhoods with a weak socioeconomic status. The municipal government aims to both, develop major housing schemes and designate redevelopment areas. In 2017, Amsterdam presented a new urban renewal program for 32 designated deprived neighbourhoods in three boroughs. The program sets out physical housing ambitions, but also intends to anticipate and integrally address social, economic and ecological challenges. To ensure the developments are inclusive, the active involvement of local communities in the decision making process is central part of the new policy. However, a large body of planning literature emphasizes the tendency of large redevelopment processes to become exclusive rather than inclusive. To avoid these pitfalls, new spatial and programmatic governance arrangements may need to be developed. In close collaboration with the municipality and local communities, we conduct empirical action-research on Amsterdam’s urban regeneration program to develop and test promising solutions with practice. The paper analyses the planning process as it evolves. Based on framing theory, we structure and analyse the expected governance barriers hindering the inclusivity during the course of the planning process. The insights gathered regarding inclusivity provide critical input in the conceptualisation of new more forceful inclusive spatial planning strategies. In conclusion, a variety of spatial and programmatic governance arrangements are presented to reinforce the inclusivity of planning processes for a sustained impact of large-scale urban renewal programs.

Digital kiosks and inclusivity

Mobility hubs facilitate multimodal transport and have the potential to improve the accessibility and usability of new mobility services. However, in the context of increasing digitalisation, using mobility hubs requires digital literacy or even owning a smartphone. This constraint may result in the exclusion of current and potential users. Digital kiosks might prove to be a solution, as they can facilitate the use of the services found at mobility hubs. Nevertheless, knowledge of how digital kiosks may improve the experience of disadvantaged groups remains limited in the literature. As part of the SmartHubs project, a field test with a digital kiosk was conducted with 105 participants in Brussels (Belgium) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands) to investigate the intention to use it and its usability in the context of mobility hubs. This study adopted a mixed methods approach, combining participant observation and questionnaire surveys. Firstly, participants were asked to accomplish seven tasks with the digital kiosk while being observed by the researchers. Finally, assisted questionnaire surveys were conducted with the same participants, including close-ended, open-ended and socio-demographic questions. The results offer insights into the experience of the users of a digital kiosk in a mobility hub and the differences across specific social groups. These findings may be relevant for decision-makers and practitioners working in urban mobility on subjects such as mobility hubs and shared mobility, and for user interface developers concerned with the inclusivity of digital kiosks.