Yanyan Wang
About
ECO-CO is a natural-based Canal-Community collaborative service system to establish a long-term sustainable pathway between the London Canal Organization and the community.
It connects three target stakeholder groups: Community centres, Residents and the Canal CIC. Positively impacting communities with nature and wellbeing by promoting the engagement of canal activities.
In this project we are really delving into the people, communities, canals and their relationships in the Hoxton area of London to develop canal related activities for residents in the communities surrounding the canal. We are now constantly trying to facilitate pathways to connect the community with canal events and organisations to enable residents to lead healthier lifestyles.
Statement
I am Yanyan Wang , a cross-disciplinary designer from China. My undergraduate background is in sculpture and my experience in 3D space creation has given me strong three-dimensional thinking and divergent thinking skills.
For the previous five years, I worked as a visual designer in the innovation department of a Shenzhen urban planning and design company. This work experience introduced me to multiple models of creative thinking and made me aware of the importance and inevitability of innovation. The multiple experiences across disciplines have allowed me to combine divergent and logical ways of thinking in my projects.
I am curious about everything unknown and am always drawn to explore different areas. At the same time, I believe that design innovators need to be multidisciplinary and this has led me to become a lifelong learner.
Studying at the RCA has allowed me to start thinking critically about things. Collaborating with people from different countries, cultures, ways of thinking and doing things, and trying to see more from multiple perspectives.
I believe that the world of the future will be built together by our constant innovation and that we need to break the rules and collaborate to create the future we want.
ECO-CO
Problem statement
People in the city face high life pressures and have a low frequency of contact with nature, leading to unfulfilled needs to enjoy the nature space.
In the Hoxton area, there is a lack of motivation for people to join the canal activities. Community centers lack knowledge of the canal and rarely organize canal-related activities. The high-quality meaningful canal activity lacks effective propaganda way to engage the community residents to join. Leading to the underutilized of existing canal resources.
Mission Statement
How might we support and utilize existing local resources, including community, canal, and CIC organizations, and even harness the potential of existing business investment to create a more engaged and healthy community.
Value proposition
Promote Local resources integration and utilization:
Establishing a new collaborative network among residents, communities, and canal conservation organizations to promote the utilization of existing natural resources in the surrounding communities.
Create Canal-Community new opportunities:
Targeted promotion of canal activities to communities, enhancing residents' awareness and interest in nature conservation. Meanwhile, increasing community participation in activities and enhancing community engagement and cohesion.
Optimize Lifestyle:
Conducting a new operational model for blue spaces based on green prescribing that encourages a healthier way of life.
Impacts
Short-term:
Promote the collaboration between the community center and canal CIC to introduce existing canal conservation activities to the community through a portable service toolkit. Enhance people’s motivation to interact with the canal and let them engage with the existing activities and reengage with nature.
Long-term:
Establish a long-term sustainable pathway connecting UK canal conservation groups with the community, further enabling people's healthier lifestyles towards the mutual healing between individuals and the canal's natural resources.
Our Service
- Enhance the motivation of residents and collect the needs of the community's relationship with the canal by holding personalized Community-Canal workshops.
- Support community matching canal organizations to introduce and plan the activities.
- Hold canal activities and realize long-term collaboration.