ANC Design Week x Public Health, Urban Design & Color Workshop

How do color and design shape the ways we feel, move, and connect to Anchorage’s public spaces? Led by - local researcher specializing in environmental design, public health, and urban experience - this workshop explores how evidence-informed color and environmental design strategies influence emotional wellbeing and community health. Drawing from local research and Anchorage-specific case studies, participants will engage in a series of hands‑on activities that translate urban health science into creative design practice.

The session is designed for designers, planners, architects, engineers, students, public health professionals, and community residents interested in the intersection of color, public space, and mental wellness.

All materials provided. No prior experience required.

Registration: Free
Space is limited.

Eligible for 1.5 PDHs (Alaska AELS).

Eduardo introduces foundational research on how color affects mood, stress response, attention, and perceived safety. Through an interactive color‑sorting activity, participants establish a shared emotional‑color vocabulary that guides the rest of the workshop.

Topics include: Calming versus stimulating palettes; the role of saturation and contrast in stress or comfort; color monotony and emotional fatigue; how color supports community identity in northern cities

Building from evidence and local examples, this section examines how color can support wayfinding, orientation, environmental clarity, and emotional comfort. Eduardo shares Anchorage‑specific insights from public art, transit environments, and nature‑based palettes.

Participants explore: Biophilic and nature-inspired color; environmental psychology findings relevant to Anchorage; murals, signage, and place-based identity in northern urban contexts

Participants work with Eduardo to redesign Anchorage streetscapes using large-scale line drawings of real local streets and plazas. Working in pairs or small groups, attendees test how color choices influence: Perceived safety, Movement and navigation, Emotional tone, Visibility and clarity, and Sense of place.

The session culminates in a community gallery wall showcasing a collective vision of a healthier, more welcoming Anchorage.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify how color, environmental design, and visual context relate to mental wellbeing in urban settings.
2. Describe how color patterns and visual cues shape movement, navigation, and emotional response within downtown Anchorage.
3. Evaluate design strategies that can strengthen community wellbeing through improved aesthetics, visibility, and public space accessibility.
4. Apply tools such as emotional mapping, palette analysis, and scenario testing to inform planning or architectural decisions.

More about Anchorage Design Week, including schedule of events and other links: www.anchoragedesignweek.org

Anchorage Design Week: February 25 - March 1, 2026

Organized by the Anchorage Museum with numerous community partners, Anchorage Design Week is an annual gathering of creative minds to promote and inspire place-based design and imagine the future of our city and the lifeways of Northern regions. Design Week welcomes community members and creatives to consider the role of design in advancing positive futures through visuals, interventions, workshops, and conversations.

As we celebrate what makes Alaska distinct, we look forward to connecting with you and our community - and maybe shaking off a bit of cabin fever - as Anchorage Design Week again coincides with Anchorage Fur Rendezvous festivities in late February.

Anchorage Design Week is a project of the Anchorage Museum in collaboration with the Alaska Design Forum, the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects, University of Alaska Anchorage, NeighborWorks Alaska, and AIGA Alaska. Anchorage Design Week is a member of World Design Weeks.

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