About this Event
Redesigning Border Rescue Beacons (RBRB) is a World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 Impact Project that aims to save lives in remote areas of the border region by using human-centered design to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants and others in distress along the border.
Every year, hundreds of people fall into distress in remote areas of the border region and die as a result of dehydration or exposure, unable to access emergency services. While most are migrants, pushed into the deserts and mountains by devastating border deterrence policies, border residents and law enforcement officials are also at risk of not being able to access help when they need it. In 2019, the Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act was passed into law in the United States which–among other things–authorized funding to deploy 170 new self-powering, 9-1-1 cellular relay rescue beacons in remote areas of the border so people can call for emergency assistance. Today, rescue beacon prototypes are designed & built by border patrol agents. Their designs vary and all look like surveillance infrastructure with hardly any indication of use for emergency assistance to migrants. RBRB is proposing to redesign the border rescue beacon to more effectively save lives and deploy these rescue beacons in remote areas of the border region surrounding San Diego.
This design workshop is intended to brainstorm ideas based on data, testimonies and expert opinions that will inform the design and construction of a new rescue beacon prototype. All events will be free and open to the public. RBRB encourages participation from individuals and organizations interested in contributing to the design of a new border rescue beacon prototype.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
NewSchool of Architecture & Design, 1249 F Street, San Diego, United States
USD 0.00