Danielle
Nelson
We all have the power to change the world. As designers, we should use our platform to create good.
Danielle has a deep interest in human connections as well as social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. She has a desire to bring voices to the table that are not traditionally heard in the design process, through participatory and co-design strategies.
When not working or studying, Danielle is travelling. While attending the Wilson School of Design, her love of travel and interest in connections took her to Colombia on the KPU Amazon Field School, and to Austria where both her and her son were able to live and study in Vienna for a year, while travelling extensively throughout Europe. After graduation, Danielle plans to complete her WELL Certification and NCIDQ, and eventually a master’s degree, and to do whatever she can to make the world a better place.
the gabriola mansion project.
“People living in cities, in residential towers, have complained about feeling both lonely and crowded at the very same time.” – Charles Montgomery (2014)
The gabriola mansion project serves as a model for the implementation of a social connection program, to be agreed upon by stakeholders, including residents, the City of Vancouver, and developers, for future multi-unit residential developments in the City of Vancouver.
It demonstrates how design can support meaningful contact between people and between people and place; highlighting what happens when people are provided with space that allows for un-programmed activities and natural intersections to occur. Using human-centered, co-design strategies to design for good (and for change), it offers a solution to one of the problems created by micro-dwellings, and also to the lack of human connections in urban environments.
The gabriola mansion is a community space, providing residents of the west end with a place that fosters connections and community, while also addressing the issue of disappearing amenities in new residential developments.
