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Service Design (MA)

Sylvia Lin

ECO-CO is about creating a long-term sustainable pathway between London Canal organisations and the community.

It connects three target stakeholder organisations: community centres, residents and the canal CIC. positively impacting communities with nature and wellbeing by promoting participation in canal activities.

Degree Details

School of DesignService Design (MA)RCA2023 at Battersea and Kensington

RCA Kensington, Stevens Building, Second and third floors

Sylvia Lin

Sylvia Lin, is a service designer and photographer based in Taiwan and the UK.

Her practice focuses on interdisciplinary design and strategic thinking. She uses observation, methodology, and proactiveness to develop relevant interventions that contribute to community well-being, social innovation, and sustainability.

Outside the design area, you will likely find her interests lie in exploring the world through traveling and photography with the creation of aesthetic pictures and poetic.

desk research
field research
service overview
service flow
validation

What is ECO-CO?

ECO-CO is about creating a long-term sustainable pathway between London Canal organisations and the community.

It connects three target stakeholder organisations: community centres, residents and the canal CIC. positively impacting communities with nature and wellbeing by promoting participation in canal activities.

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.