Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness: Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

One would like to assume that given enough information and a variety of choices that a reasonable person would be able to make decisions devoid of unsound external influence. To some this is called paternal libertarianism or retaining the liberty of having choices however slight incentives or nudges are utilized to create a “metered amount of regulation”. The goal is to allow people to take responsibility for their actions by understanding the direct and indirect consequences while keeping them generally free from harm.

In the book Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein the idea of shaping choices smartly is illustrated in examples from grocery store product placement to default application selections. The concern is that by altering the order in which choices are presented one can help shape the perceived value that each choice represents and in essence shape the selection process while still leaving the possibility for self appraised alternatives to exist.

For anyone who has to interact with those they wish to influence the idea of knowing how to shape a question in order to receive the desirable answer is valuable. There was a story on NPR a while back (which I cannot find now) in which giving a child a choice or whether to wear a red or green jacket outside was more useful then simply telling a child to put on a jacket. The inference is that the jacket is automatic but the there is a choice available, red or green. The child still feels as if the important decision making is up to them (or that they have some control) while still being protected from inclement weather.

There are similar examples in the book, especially when it comes to choosing things such as energy providers (the choice isn’t whether you want/need one but instead you get to select which one provides which service). Granted many of the stories are oversimplified the bridging between the arguments is still strong enough to warrant paying attention. I found the voice of the book more personal, as if in a living room conversation with a friend or co-worker instead of being lectured to by a professor, which was fine if not mildly campy at times.

In all it was a quick book to read, not entirely full of new information but the collection offered was good enough to either get one started on the idea of “choice architecture” or offer some different insight into use and framing of selections. At the very least you will look at the grocery store in a new way and may even figure out how to ask someone a question in such a way that they will respond how you want. That alone is worth the price.

resources:

The Nudge Blog

choice architecture primer

Cleveland Architecture Weak...April 15th - April 24th

Right off the bat, I hope this thing succeeds. I honestly do, it would be nice to see some sort of effort by local architects and their professional organizations to reach out into an under served (by good design) community and reinforce the value of what good architecture and design is.

With that in mind I am going to post the event's happenings before any sort of dissection as to the program and programming of the event.

The following events are scheduled to be included in Architecture Week:

• Lecture by George Hartman, FAIA* Thursday, April 15, 2010, 5:30 – 9:00 pm
• A Exhibition Opening Reception: Friday, April 16, 2010, 5:30 – 9:30 pm****
• “No Building Left Behind”** Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 4:00 – 6:30 pm****
• “Envisioning the Future of Cleveland”*** Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 5:30 – 9:00 pm****
• AIA Cleveland/IIDA Happy Hour: Friday, April 23, 2010, 5:30 – 8:00 pm****
• PechaKucha Cleveland Night: Friday, April 23, 2010, 8:20 – 11:00 pm****
• Exhibition Panel Discussion: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 2:30 – 5:00 pm****
• Exhibition Closing Party: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 5:00 – 7:00 pm****
• Additional Event Information:
• *Lecture by AIA Gold Medalist George Hartman, FAIA, “The History of Architectural Education and The Community of Architects” is co-hosted by AIA Cleveland, Classical America, and the Institute for Classical Architecture, and will be held at the Union Club, Thursday, April 15, 2010, 5:30 – 9:00 pm
• **AIA Cleveland, Historic Resources Committee, with Cleveland Restoration Society, the Institute for Classical Architecture, and Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs, “No Building Left Behind”, a presentation and roundtable discussion of adaptive re-use of religious structures at CSU Levin College, Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 4:00 – 6:30 pm****
• ***AIA Cleveland, Government Affairs Committee, City of Cleveland Planning Commission Director Bob Brown, “Envisioning the Future of Cleveland”, Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 6:00 -8:30 pm****

Other Anticipated Events:

• AIA Cleveland, Chad Oppenheim Lecture, Thursday, April 22, 2010, 5:30 – 9:00 pm
• AIA Cleveland, Urban Design Committee, Building Tour/Adaptive Re-use****

**** Indicates events which are free and open to the public. All other events are open to the public, but have associated ticket costs.

Now, with that out of the way I have to admit my very first response to hearing about Cleveland Architecture week was "Finally!". Looking at the similar programs offered in Portland, Oregon or Toronto (that's in Canada and I love that city - and yes, I would move to both of these places in a heartbeat if the stars aligned properly) or Chicago or wherever architecture and design are major contributors to both the economy and the city's identity there is a common theme that I wish was a little more central to Cleveland's Architecture Week.

Architecture as a profession has been having a relatively difficult time during the recession with growing unemployment rates and firm closures caused by a slumping market as project financing becomes harder to come by. There is also the issue of architects being seen merely overspecialized exterior decorators as building functions and operations are increasingly offset to specialists and consultants. The typical layperson may have the ability to appreciate why a building "looks" a certain way however when asked to evaluate and quantify there is hesitation and when seeking services for smaller projects (residences, etc.) architects are seen as an unnecessary aesthetic expense.

Which to me is an incredible shame. I find good designers to be the ones that can envision a project holistically and are worth their expense in operational savings while creating handsome and intelligent projects and make occupying spaces a worthwhile experience. I am horrified and saddened when -anyone- show me plans for houses (typically stock plans) that offer no personalization into how they live their lives and are completely devoid of their personal value systems (eg. efficiency) but they chose to purchase these plans because they thought hiring an architect who cared would cut too deeply into the budget for their home. I think the expense is there and don't disagree that it does leave less money for building the house, however the savings and quality of design (and overseeing of construction) should compensate. There is a distinction between houses and homes and it isn't specifically semantic.

That is just for homes. What if architecture was generally quantified (good v bad)? What if the general public wasn't just treated to a series of erudite lectures but instead treated to an explanation of what architecture is, what good architecture can do for everyone and why it has some value? What if architecture week wasn't just for the architects but more for what architecture can do for the city? Was there any consultation with non-architects? What would that architecture week look like? How accessible and interesting would architecture week be then?

Personally, I would love to see some discussions on design/architecture from the local names, where it begins and ends with some examples of projects to back their discussions up. I would have liked to see a public QA forum with a variety of designers specializing in specific nuances (code review, permit approval, building siting, programming, green design, etc. etc. etc.) where the public could come and ask questions. I think a really good sense of what information is most sought after locally could come from something like that. I would also like to see a panel discussion from some of the recent clients talking about what they were looking for, how their project was budgeted and awarded and how the process went (including post occupancy building operations) to quickly allow for a connection for those not intimate with architecture to glean a sense of the process (it would be great for potential clients looking to begin a project relatively soon). Heck, I would love a public forum for the large projects currently underway; MOCA, CIA addition (whats the scoop w/ MVRDV v Burt Hill), etc. with project reps and some city council members there, maybe even some reps of the firms involved just so the public is aware of what the heck is going on in our backyard. If anything I think architecture week should be more for the public then just architects. The public, after all, is our greatest judge, jury and client pool, stroking our own egos seems like a misguided effort as the perceived local value of architecture is being self-diminished.

Sometimes the kid with the "architecture, 5¢" booth seems like the smartest guy in the world. At least he understands that making architecture accessible has more value then making it seem magically mysterious. I suppose a brief history of early architects may help us designers get over ourselves and start focusing on important things like the clients instead of which fashion glasses to wear.

I will be following architecture week from a sterilized distance. To be honest I am not entirely interested in much of the programming, the PechaKucha night looks to be one of the few events where new ideas and discourse may arise. While the rest may be interesting, they don't strike me as interesting enough. I would rather hang out with the uninformed public who don't seem to be invited to this thing anyway (well to be fair Steve Litt did post a blog post about it and I think it made it into CoolCleveland - although it didn't make their calendar - but I don't remember seeing any other public postings for an event such as this that is a week long happening).

resources:

Official AIA Cleveland press release (.pdf)

Whine Power

Cleveland (and the region) needs to take advantage of all of our natural resources. What is more abundant than whining? Just check out the comments on Cleveland.com if you don't believe me.

Also, I am acutely aware that this can be construed as irony, although I am pretty sure it doesn't fit a strict definition, instead it is merely similar to rain on your wedding day or a red light when you are already late.