Meet Fast Forward Contributor >> Rebecca Ann Kidd

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

Architecture of Social Engagement

 

The word “homeless” is based on a judgment that reflects on the lack of architecture a person has, which leads to a solution that fulfills just that. However, there is yet another deficiency that is often overlooked, ignored and left undone which is the relationship between the poor and the non. This large gap between the two parties, not in terms of societal structure, but, rather, the interaction that is needed in order to help someone in need, remains a void that acts as loudest aspect of the city. It screams when we walk past a homeless person and creates a noticeable divide. For a brief moment, it instills anxiety and fear into our minds as we meditate on what terrible things may happen. Architecture of Social Engagement sets out to orchestrate the interaction between those who are homeless and those who are not within the context of Rittenhouse Square,Philadelphia, through a game of chess. A Game of Chess creates a one on one interaction that involves the battle of two minds. The Chess Station, then, becomes the stage on which this event occurs in the park.

Contact

E-mail: rebecca.ann.kidd(at)gmail.com

Rebecca graduated with her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Philadelphia University. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, spent a semester abroad in South Korea, and was captain of the college's varsity soccer team. Her thesis topic was the Architecture of Social Engagement, a critical look at how the urban spaces around Rittenhouse Square can orchestrate interaction between those who are homeless and those who are not. This project encompassed a larger study of human dynamics and its relationship to the built environment, which she continues to study and analyze. Rebecca currently works for Loci Architecture which is located in the SoHo area of New York City.