IPCITY

Project Description

We were challenged to solve a mobility or safety issue in a highly populated city center around Los Angeles. My group and I decided to tackle the non-inviting and threatening environment at the Expo La Brea station. We decided on focusing on the safety of women at the station and came up with our concept of using interactive light projections to not only add more light to the sparsely lit area but to also give the station a more artistic feel so that it can be more inviting and safe.

Problem

We decided on focusing on the safety of women and those most vulnerable after witnessing at the station the dark and threatening environment, very few security guards, and the lack of ways of accessing help if needed.

Insights

Based on our observations and interviews conducted at Expo/La Brea station we made an insight that women feel the safest and least threatened at the station when they are unbothered. We observed that women usually put their headphones in, sit near security guards or gravitate towards the well-lit areas. We also observed that unfortunately the station is only well lit towards the center and there are only two security guards at the station that stand together leaving one side of the platform completely uncovered.

Solutions

Our solution is IPCITY. IPCITY uses projection technology to alter the existing environment at the Expo/La Brea Metro platform, transforming it into an interactive, formal, art space. We came up with this solution after observing people at the station playing music and bringing that artist feel to the space making it a more pleasant environment. We also researched that there is a decrease in crime in artistic spaces.