Fostering curiosity in a city

As the Trustees of Ako Ōtautahi - Learning City Christchurch, in our deliberations, our kōrero, our hui,  the word 'curiosity' keeps coming up. And with jolly good reason. Curiosity is perhaps one of the most primal and powerful survival instincts of our species, and perhaps of all life forms. 

"One way to begin exploring curiosity is to understand ‘information seeking’. This behavior is observable across the entire animal kingdom – from apes and dolphins all the way down to crabs and tiny nematode worms. ‘Information seeking’ means that every animal seeks information about their environment. This is so they know how to navigate it. In fact, it’s why sensory organs exist – to supply the brain with information that helps you understand your environment and make better choices." (Source: https://curiosity.britannica.com/science-of-curiosity)

I spent quite some time down a rabbit hole searching for what has been written about curiosity, it's benefits, and its connections with creativity. GoogleScholar is a wonderful thing, as is the Google search operator 'site:edu'. I have to confess that I didn't even scratch the surface, but in the process of skimming through a lot of material several things became apparent.

Curiosity offers many benefits for learning, and for our lives as human beings.

"A study published in Neuron last fall about the science of curiosity confirmed that when people are curious, they:

• Learn more
• Remember better
• Absorb incidental material (the boring stuff) better than they ordinarily would

An article by Todd Kashdan in Experience Life magazine summarizes other research showing that curiosity is a leading contributor to better health, intelligence, relationships, and happiness. (my emphasis).." (Source: https://blog-youth-development-insight.extension.umn.edu/2015/06/making-curiosity-happen.html) 

That has echoes of the work of Professor Peter O'Connor ('Replanting creativity in post normal times').

Curiosity is also beneficial in supporting, promoting, and developing creativity.

"There is a strong connection between creativity and curiosity. Curiosity is the
foundation for creative people, creative process, and creative environment to foster
innovation. To evaluate how curiosity stimulates creativity, this project explored the
nature of curiosity and the role in creativity. " Source: https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=creativeprojects )

I had taken a lot of this for granted, admittedly not a good way to enter into any inquiry, but it was a belief based on a lot of previous reading and work. The question with which I had begun this search  was this: is it possible to promote or develop a curious and creative city, or is it possible to build a culture of creativity and curiosity in a city?

To cut to the chase, I gathered some interesting material, although it may take some more thinking/processing to come up with strategies that make this all work.

In a 2021 book 'Restorative Cities', Professor Jenny Roe, Director of the Center for Design & Health in the School of Architecture, University of Virginia, writes of the idea of restorative streets in urban design:

"As one example – the design of ‘restorative streets’ that can boost mental health – might include:

• Multiple uses and facilities, a mixture of all kinds of residences, workplaces, shops, cafes and restaurants that bring people out on the street at all times of day;
• Urban greenery and street trees that are so strongly linked with restorative mental health;
• The inclusion of ‘fascinating’ shopfront facades, and other attributes of street design that promote curiosity and wonder (such as public art, green walls, murals);
• Safe ‘bumping’ places where people can mix and mingle on an impromptu basis; dog walking areas, street chess, mini-markets and food stalls, for example.
• Comfortable streets that restrict vehicular access and promote walkability and other modes of active travel including cycling." (Source: https://engagement.virginia.edu/node/5806)

 In a paper submitted in 2006 for her Masters Degree ('Curious About Curiosity?'  Buffalo State College) Sharon Walsh  suggested the following personal steps that in her opinion would develop curiosity:

• Be observant
• Have a sense of wonderment and awe (sounds a little like Art Costa's 'Habits of mind')
• Be more curious, ask questions
• Judge your judgement
• Make the familiar strange, and the strange familiar
• Be surprised, and surprise others

She concludes:

"There are many techniques to help encourage curiosity. It is helpful to consider

engaging curiosity from the perspective of people, process and environment. An

important component to encouraging curiosity is opening oneself to the creative process

through being more curious, judging judgment and (sic) playing with concepts and

ideas. Taking a childlike sense of awe and wonder about the world and being more 

observant is an avenue to igniting one's curiosity. Another technique for encouraging

curiosity is to surprise yourself and others.. "

In a blog post titled 'Making curiosity happen' written in 2016, Jessica Pierson Russo of the University of Minnesota, suggested that the following three things promote the development of curiosity:

• Build knowledge
• Thrive on uncertainty
• Play
• See the extraordinary in the ordinary

She also wrote:

"I can think of other strategies that may be useful in strengthening curiosity as a skill—for instance, nurturing failure as a welcome part of the creative process. Failure should be taught as a good thing (rather than something to be avoided at all costs) in relation to learning and building curiosity. But the main strategy that I would advocate for in building curiosity is teaching it intentionally as a necessary life skill that we can develop. Each of us tends to exercise these strategies, at least unconsciously, at one point or another. But when we use them intentionally, we begin to create valuable habits that ultimately result in stronger minds and better learning experiences" (Source: https://blog-youth-development-insight.extension.umn.edu/2015/06/making-curiosity-happen.html)

This notion of nurturing failure, of celebrating the need for risk taking in the creative process, I have found to be recognised across many sources.

I came across a number of other papers that said quite similar things. If we are to assume that these are correct, then the question is 'are these strategies scaleable across a city?' 

One conclusion I have come to yet again is that cities that have a 'creative vibe'  are more likely to be cities that foster curiosity and therefore creativity.  I have written about this several times before.

Just today I read of a new 'green space' popping up in the central Christchurch CBD, and have seen yet more street art appearing (or maybe it's just that I am 'seeing' it for the first time). There are plenty of other Ōtautahi Christchurch examples in previous posts.

And Christchurch is forward in developing those alternative spaces where creativity can be nurtured, where it can thrive. There is the SALT district:

"SALT is the gritty, Southern ALTernative to the glossier city core. Laced with laneways and centred around St Asaph, Lichfield & Tuam streets, it’s a character destination where cool people with big ideas make amazing things happen."

 A part of this development is the 'Boxed Quarter':

"BOXed Quarter is a melting pot of art, music and hospitality located directly opposite Ara Institute and deep within the rapidly emerging SALT District. "

One of many questions I have in my head is 'how does this impact the lives of whānau who live in poverty, who battle addictions, abuse, and privations generally'? That is, how does this impact the lives of our most vulnerable? You could easily respond that it can't, it won't, that this is not the right tool for the job. It's just that if a part of our vison for a learning city is a drive for equity, I can't help thinking that those whnau ought to be a part of this. After all, surely every one of those human beings has creative potential that could benefit us all? Every one of those human beings deserves to live their best life?

I am of the opinion that developers and city planners in Ōtautahi are doing their bit. They are doing what they can to give us an environment that is conducive to growing curiosity and creativity. What next?