STEP 3.
WHAT COULD BE
Visioning desired change & Design
Based on the research done in steps 1 and 2, it’s now time to start envisioning a change in the place.
Design is problem solving: Imagine the best possible experience you could create with the resources you have!
What would be a good and feasible improvement for all the stakeholders involved in the place we have chosen to alter?
The best way is to design together and take all the different viewpoints into consideration: Remember, that there’s no right or wrong answer to a design problem.
You can use one of the following exercises . In this stage, you have to involve all the people who were participating in the previous steps.
1. VISION PLAN
Let us remember:
1. You have chosen your cultural heritage site in your city, village, or local community.
2. You have asked yourselves why this place is important for you, your neighborhood and people living here.
3. You have identified all of your stakeholders and worked with them.
Now it is time to do your Vision plan- so let’s get started!
Step 1.
Translate your given ideas from previous steps into an action plan
- to identify current place situations
- to identify the opportunities for the place
- to involve the stakeholders in the process
TIME TO DO THE EXCERCISE
one day
PEOPLE INVOLVED
depends on the number of your stakeholders
TRAINERS
1 – 2
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
- pens
- markers
- paper
EXERCISE:
1. Collect all of your previous ideas, photographs and other material that you have
2. Assemble all interested stakeholders into a working group
3. Invite volunteers into the working group
4. Draw a map or maps with your chosen places
5. Ask the working group to rethink all the materials that you have collected and see if you want to add something
Step 2.
Make your Vision plan
1. Draw a Vision plan (be creative- this is creative place-making :). Use a vision poster with different art material and do a fun vision poster of the place you want to have – this is a good exercise if you involve children.
2. Make a video with the shots of how the place looked before and add new and improved things everybody wants to see (this will require somebody who knows how to do video).
3. If you are working with intangible cultural heritage, then try to capture your feelings so you express why this is so important to you, your people, group etc.
4. Do a Powerpoint presentation where you will include all the opinions of the working group
These are just examples. You can use what every creative visualization you like. Just make sure it is visually attractive and everybody can understand it.
Step 3.
Do your summary report
1. Write a short report that summarizes the given results.
2. Do not forget to add specific short and long-term ideas, priorities and partners.
3. Attach this summary report to the Visual plan you have made (because it is not possible to have all of this information in your Visual plan.)
This summary report is very important for planning your next step – Interventions in action!
2. SHORT FILL-IN OPINION CARDS
(working template/material)
- to express verbally and become specific about the particular elements that the group wants to change in the focus space
TIME TO DO THE EXCERCISE
30 – 60 minutes
PEOPLE INVOLVED
1 – 25
TRAINERS
1 – 2
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
- 2 kinds of fill-in cards in different colors
- pens, pencils, sharpies
- smart phones, tablets or digital cameras
You can do this exercise both in case you have implemented the use of photography in Step 2 as well as in the case you have opted not to. If conditions permit it, it is preferable to imbed photography in the project as it is widely reported as enabling participants as young as pre-schoolers to better focus, highlight their experience and articulate it.
In both cases, participants work individually
EXERCISE:
1. Prepare two kinds of cards of two different colors. One, for what participants like in the space and one for what they do not like.
The cards can roughly look like this: (if you like these – download it here)
*If participants have already taken pictures of what they like and what they don’t like in the space:
2. Each participant browses the pictures they have taken and decides which spot or element is the one they most like.
3. Once they decide, have a short discussion on how they can explain why they like it best. Encourage them to avoid responding only with one or two words, but ask them to try to explain to a blind person why they like that particular spot or element. Using examples and analyzing the properties of space or things is particularly helpful. For example, instead of responding with ‘bench’ , one can specify whether it is the color, the material, the position, the direction, the feel, the size, the arrangement, the shape, or even the smell of the bench that makes them particularly like it.
4. Participants fill-in their cards. They can write their names at the back if this is agreed.
*If participants have not taken pictures of what they like and what they don’t like in the space, you may follow the above steps from memory.
5. Preferences as recorded in the cards are announced and discussed with the whole group. Participants can express whether they agree or disagree. At the end of the discussion they can also discuss whether they have changed their mind about a particular element or spot after hearing other people’s explanations on their preferences.
3. INTERVENING ON PHOTOGRAPHS
- to experiment visually with possible interventions
TIME TO DO THE EXCERCISE
60 – 80 minutes
PEOPLE INVOLVED
1 – 25
TRAINERS
1 – 2
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
- Printed photographs of the place taken by participants
- depending on the technique you decide to implement:
color pencils, sharpies, magazines & leaflets, computers,
photo-editing software, glue, paper
One way to start visualizing the kinds of changes participants would like to introduce to the space under focus is to take pictures and directly intervene on them. Depending on the skills of the group as well as available resources, this can be done either by drawing (with various materials); hands-on collages or digital means.
EXERCISE:
1. Participants take photographs of the particular aspect of the place they would most like to change
2. Photographs are printed or made digitally available back to the group. Here, depending on group dynamics, you may decide to provide each participant with the actual photograph they have taken or to shuffle the pictures between members.
3. Participants intervene on the photographs with the chosen means (drawing, collages, digital, or other).
4. The new images are discussed with the group. At this point, they can help start identifying
a) what is the aspect that most needs change
b) why
c) what is feasible according to available resources (budget or other)
4. 3D MODEL ALTERNATION
- visualize what could be
- understand scale and learn spatial thinking
- discuss, plan and work together
TIME TO DO THE EXCERCISE
2 days minimum
PEOPLE INVOLVED
5 – 15
TRAINERS
1 – 2
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
- a map of the chosen place-making site in a certain scale (depending on the size of the site)
- some understanding / approximate measurements of the vertical dimensions of the site e.g. heights of surrounding buildings, trees etc
- material for model building e.g. one-colored cardboard, glue etc
- material for visualizing the future changes, e.g. recycled materials
EXERCISE:
Attach the map of the chosen place-making site on a hard surface, like a piece of cardboard. Make a 3D model of the existing place by measuring the heights of the surrounding elements, such as buildings, trees etc in the right scale. If the shape of the terrain is uneven – there are a lot of height differences – try to also imitate them in your scale model.
When the scale model of the existing situation is finished, the fun part starts. Use for example recycled materials, cardboard or play-dough to design the chances the place needs. Move the items around: The scale model is a good way to test the place-making interventions. Play around, discuss with your group and most importantly try – with the help of the scale model – to visualize how the changes you are planning change the place and space.
Tip: If your place-making site is outside, try to simulate the micro-climate of the place. Where does the sun scorch the hardest? Would that then be the best place for a shade? Or is there an especially windy spot on the site? Maybe not then choose that spot as the palace for sitting and reading a book?
CREATIVE PLACEMAKING TOOLBOX – PDF
(english)
PUBLISHER
KA-MATRIX
Association for social development
Jurja Haulika 22.
47 000 Karlovac
Croatia
email: info@ka-matrix.hr
web: www. ka-matrix.hr
FB: https://www.facebook.com/UDRUGAKAMATRIX
PARTNERS:
SUOMEN KULTTUURIPERINTÖKASVATUKSEN SEURA RY
Association of Cultural Heritage Education in Finland
Hallituskatu 2 B,
Business ID: 2148270–7
00170 Helsinki
Finland
email: info@kulttuuriperintokasvatus.fi
web: kulttuuriperintokasvatus.fi
FB: www.facebook.com/kupekasvatus
URBAN GORILLAS
78 Vasileos pavlou
1021 Nicosia
Cyprus
AUTHORS:
KA- MATRIX:
Manuela Kasunić & Denis Mikšić
SUOMEN KULTTUURIPERINTÖKASVATUKSEN SEURA:
Eeva Astala & Ira Vihreälehto
URBAN GORILLAS:
Despo Pasia & Marina Kyriakou
IMAGES & ICONS:
private archive | freepik.com | flaticon.com
DESIGN:
Studio Ratković
This website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
