Please share your initial observations in a few paragraphs below…
Please spend some time observing peoples’ behaviors relating to your domain or area of opportunity that you’d like to use as the focus on. You’ll be designing of a PRODUCT that supports or promotes sustainable behaviors and practices for INDIVIDUALS in day-to-day use.
The domain that I'd like to focus on is…
I want to tackle sustainable urbanization and infrastructure in Panama City, specifically urban roads and the broader highway system.
This area is important/interesting to me because….
Panama City, capital of the Republic of Panama, has grown into Central America's hub for international business and transport services; this has led to urban development at an unplanned rate. The result has partly caused poor road design with increasingly disruptive capabilities and high traffic rates. Moreover, the roads have largely deteriorated in large areas of the city due to poor maintenance and exposure to Panama's constant rain. Trash from the wet roads then accumulates in river systems throughout the city, and floats into the ocean. This reality is not safe for pedestrians who have to maneuver these scenarios with little-to-no sidewalks. In a city of growing global recognition, Panama must encourage the sustainable reform of these systems.
For this project, I was largely inspired by “calzadas” (in Spanish or “sacbé” in Yucatec Maya) which were large road systems that connected Maya city states, and had commercial and ceremonial use. last year I visited one of these roads in Guatemala and saw how its design provided a sustainable solution to road infrastructure. Of the many known uses of calzadas as important cultural sites, their design is striking for how it harnesses water to maintain the roads themselves. The Maya also accounted for water disposal, allowing it accumulate in clay-lined depressions called “aguadas.” This water was later repurposed throughout the city and even stored through periods of drought. Inspired by this design, I want to apply some of its attributes to Panama City's urban layout to achieve a more sustainable road system.