The Lively Cities project: 3 steps to new destinations

JUNE 2012/No.1

1st STEP

Act on your space !

Bringing life to the Place Verte Rethinking our space Yes we can ! Building on strong community relations

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Meeting with Place Vertes inhabitants, Tournai, Belgium

FROM DESOLATION TO DESTINATION 3 questions to Jean-Luc Calonger,

Marketing/retail management expert, one of Lively Cities observers
What makes a public space pleasant ? A pleasant public space is somewhere where people feel at home - and where they enjoy spending some time. It doesnt have to include commercial uses, but be a place where people can relax and chill out. When a public space becomes a destination in its own right (such as Jardin des Tuileries in Paris or Bryant Park in New York) then the goal has been reached. Place making and place management, are they really new in Europe ? Yes and no - place making and place management are indeed very trendy subjects, but in Europe they are only addressed from a theoretical point of view. The aim of the Lively Cities (LICI) project is to translate theory to practice - as has been achieved in Australia the United States and New Zealand - and adapt these concepts to Europe. How will the LICI partnership achieve this ? LICI will follow several stages : observation, analysis, testing and the monitoring of pilot projects - before establishing more definitive actions. We are now entering the testing. stage, which is a crucial element. Each partner will experience tensions, difficulties, failures - but also successes. Thats the added value of trans national work - indeed, partners will pool their experiences, share good practices and explain how they got around obstacles, in order to avoid reproducing mistakes.

Lively Cities, an INTERREG IVB project

Find out more about LICIs public space projects :

www.lively-cities.eu

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KEY PLAYERS TALK
NAMUR (BELGIUM)

The Lively Gazette JUNE 2012/No.1

A process of evolution
An interview with Bernadette Bonnier, Head of Namurs Maison de la Culture
LICI has been launched on the eve of a major restructuration of the House of Culture in Namur.Bernadette Bonnier was quickly identified as a key stakeholder of the space thanks to the town centre management of GAU Namur, which brings together powerful communities. Via GAU, a meeting was planned early April, during which the AMCV, LICIs lead partner, explained the aim of the project, ie to reclaim public space for public use.A few months later, Bernadette Bonnier gives her overview on the first stage of the project

WAVRE (BELGIUM)

A garden at heart,
when opponents become supporters
In July 2011 Wavre saw the temporary transformation of a city centre car park into an urban garden. Grass, tables, and chairs were placed in the Place Cardinal Mercier. Organised activities, a photo exhibition and a playground were additional attractions. The project, an initiative of the citys town centre management, was deemed a great success, yet when originally proposed it met a lot of opponents. Ms Tyack, owner of a restaurant on the Place, was one of them: I must admit I was strongly opposed to the project... I was worried about the loss of parking and I considered the arrival of the champagne bar a direct competitor to my own business. In reality quite the opposite happened. People spending time in the garden also spent time in my bar. Im looking forward to phase two !
First steps to new destinations

What is the context of this collaboration ? Weve been approached by GAU and the AMCV for the LICI project. We decided to focus on the garden of the Maison de la Culture as a space to be reclaimed for public use because of its strategic location and numerous assets. Its on the riverside and faces the historic Citadelle ; its a rare, central green space in the city, that offers people the opportunity of a break from traffic and the crowds. Recent works by the city council have also turned the area into Namurs gateway.

In this context, the garden could become Namurs new place to be. Yet, today, the garden is far from being at its full potential, it lacks visibility and is subject to recurrent damages. What is the extra value of working within LICI ? The AMCV undertook data collection and analysis of the garden. Theyll be using the results of community consultation to test some pilot schemes on site in 2012. The Province of Namur has already cut down the overgrown plants that

were contributing to the publics overall feeling of insecurity in the garden. This will provide space for testing the pilot schemes on the gardens upper area. The LICI project is an opportunity to test a range of actions, before finalising a comprehensive solution for the whole site. The monitoring of these pilot schemes will be the basis for a rethink, to provide a new approach that best matches the expectations and needs of the gardens users.

TESTIMONY
TOURNAI (BELGIUM) TOURNAI (BELGIUM)

TOPS & FLOPS

A fun tool to get a new perception of the site
For its June 2011 local community survey, Tournai developed Tops & Flops, a simple but effective way for people to evaluate their area. Based on the principle that a picture is worth a thousand words, local people were given cameras and asked to photograph positive and negative aspects of Place Verte. The technique was remarkably successful in conveying in visual terms the perceptions of the community. The results will be invaluable in identifying both short term and long term improvements to Place Verte.

Bringing life to the Place Verte !

The Place Verte in Tournai is a quiet residential square near the left bank of the River Schelde. It forms part of a pedestrian route between the station and the historic city centre. Tournais LICI team has held several meetings with local residents. This early engagement with the local community is helping to ensure a bottom-up approach to improvements of this underused space. Roos Lootens, who has been a resident of Place Verte for 25 years, gave us her thoughts on the LICI project : When we received the invitation to participate in the June 2011 Place Verte survey, my husband and I were quite worried, thinking it was a step towards the creation of a car park. However, when we met the Tournai LICI team, we immediately understood the aims of the LICI project, namely to make the place more user friendly. Im very positive. I think we need to bring life to the square - as nothing happens here. We love this square because its quiet and close to nature, thanks to the trees. Kids could play and bike on it, people could meet... Since the survey, inhabitants talk more together, especially about the project. I think that most of them, depending on their availability, would agree to contribute and help in making this space more lively.

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PARTNERS ON THE STARTING BLOCK
LA LOUVIERE (BELGIUM)

Branding places with people

An interview with Cline Dupire, Lively Cities team
The town centre management of La Louvire is working on 3 recently renovated public spaces. All former parking lots, these squares are now large empty spaces. The LICI project, to transform these spaces into places, needs to allow sufficient room for existing events to continue.
How does Lively Cities support place-making projects in La Louvire ? We are working on bringing activity to the squares outside the existing events (such as the weekly market). Well be introducing a range of new ideas temporary facilities, spaces where people can meet, mobile furniture, games or structures... the idea is to encourage activity without necessarily creating specific events and to ensure that each square has its own identity. How have you determined the identities of the different spaces ? We observed the spaces, interviewed the communities and considered other contextual elements. Our analysis defined the essential characteristics of each space. We are not seeking to impose a new identity, but looking to build on existing strengths and ensure an overall coherence to the project. Who are the different communities and how have you worked with them? Weve identified communities and held meetings with the city council, local associations, shop owners and residents. Some communities have become partners in both the conception and realisation of the pilot tests. For example, we have invested in a mobile tightrope so that a circus can practice its activity outdoors on the public space.

BRIGHTON & HOVE (ROYAUME-UNI)

Rethinking our space... Yes we can !

An interview with Alan Buck , Lively Cities team
You launched a call for volunteers to undertake fieldwork. How did it happen ? Our project focuses on the Providence Place Gardens area a good example of a much needed but unsuccessful public space close to Brighton city centre. Having realised that we needed additional fieldworkers, we launched a call for volunteers who we trained in the latest place-making data collection techniques. They helped us to analyse the space and gather information from people in the area. Who volunteered and why do you think they answered your call ? A wide range of people - some unemployed or retired, a student, a landscape architect, council officers we are lucky to have a good supply of willing volunteers in the city. They tended to have personal or professional interests in the area. One volunteers daughter had attended the local school. That particular volunteer was interested in urban regeneration and said that the project would complement her voluntary conservation work. She was also keen to see Brightons open spaces used effectively. So was the experience fruitful? If so, will you do it again ? Yes and yes ! In fact we will launch another call for volunteers to carry out an assessment of our pilot project in SeptemberOctober 2012. Anyone interested in applying, should check out the LICI website in June or July for further information : www.lively-cities.eu

1 city, 3 public spaces, 3 different identities

ABERDEEN (SCOTLAND)

Discovering your city

An interview with Mark Bremner, Lively Cities team
The Green is a site of historic importance situated in the heart Aberdeen, directly parallel to the citys busiest street. However, it is underused. Through LICI, the council aims to develop the Green as both a pedestrian connection route and a unique destination for events and community activities.
Between 2011 -12 Aberdeens LICI Team has carried out an analysis of the space. This has included onstreet observations, consultations and surveys, as well as utilising new technology, social media and users photo journeys. Based on the findings, pilot projects are in the pipeline, including a public art light work to entice people into the area. In addition, the team is promoting the site as a venue for cultural events and festivals, while assessing their impact, both in terms of attracting people and in changing perceptions of the area. Can you explain the photo journey ? The photo journeys are people documenting their own perceptions and experiences of the space, creating a visual narrative. Anyone interested can upload their own photo and comments to www.facebook.com/pages/The-Aberdeen-Green What are the benefits and limitations of this tool ? The limitations are the reliance on user generated data, so you need to actively encourage people to participate, which can be a challenge. The benefits are that it encourages people to really look and personally invest in the site. Its also a good way of building a collective vision for the space. Youve hosted the Lively Cities kick-off meeting. What was the contribution of the other partners to your thinking? Getting our partners fresh perspective on The Greens challenges and potential has been invaluable in instilling a creative and community-focussed approach to the site.

A summer day in the Aberdeen Green

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PARTNERS ON THE STARTING BLOCK

The Lively Gazette JUNE 2012/No.1

UNIVERSITY VAN HALL LARENSTEIN (THE NETHERLANDS) LILLE (FRANCE)

180 minutes on site

An interview with Chritian Crindal, Lively Cities team
The LICI partners visited Lille in June 2011, can you tell us something about the visit and what Lille got out of it ? We were able to show our LICI partners two of the three sites we had selected for our place-making strategy : the Place Franois Mitterrand and the Place Mends-France. The partners undertook a short analysis of how these spaces are used, using a range of data-gathering techniques. They were also able to meet some of the stakeholders who control these spaces (including the Euralille public developer) in order to grasp some of the technical constraints that are particular to each site. The dialogue also provided these stakeholders with a greater awareness of place making issues. The comments made by project partners shed some new light on the way these spaces were used : - For Place Mends-France, home of the Lille National Orchestra, partners suggested the potential to consider the orchestra as a possible resource to help bring new life to the plaza ; moreover, we had a better grasp of how the entry ramps to the underground car park were contributing to the spaces fragmentation and isolating it from the dynamism of the surrounding urban area.

Be green !

How would you describe your involvement in LICI ? We are one of LICIs research partners, with staff and students focussing on innovative approaches to public participation. We also provide academic support to the project. What is the focus of your students work ? Its pretty varied. For example, we have Merel Boogaard who is working on her final thesis with LICI partner Eindhoven. She acts as a public space troubleshooter. Twenty of our students have worked on 4 projects, each with a different environmental approach to community co-operation. On the Park Kinderkamp project, students worked with local artists, social workers and children, raised local environmental awareness and improved the neglected green area of Kinderkamp. Another example is an Arnhem housing co-op, where students and residents remodelled a communal garden. This was completed in January 2012.

In the spring of 2012, two students, Rick and Robert-Jan, will work with the AMCV in Louvain la Neuve, Wavre and Namur (Belgium). They will look at long-term planning and carry out environmental improvements in neglected public spaces. They commenced informal discussions with residents in February, to get familiar with local issues. What about the research team ? That is led by Juanee Cilliers. The team is collecting data on the varied approaches used by each LICI partner, in order to develop a transnational LICI green toolbox of techniques for transforming public spaces. Frans van den Goorbergh is exploring narrative techniques, seeking the story behind the story as told by local people. Last, but not least, Wim Timmermans is chairing the Academic Advisory Board to coordinate research publications and reflect on the lessons learned from LICI.

EINDHOVEN (THE NETHERLANDS)

Building on a strong relationship with communities

An interview with Yolanda van Els, Lively Cities team
We work closely in the neighbourhood with the social housing community, schools, social welfare organisations and citizens forums. We work with a core of professional people who have been dedicated to this area for years. Because it receives attention and funding from both central and local government, we are able to achieve a great deal here. Local people, including the resident Turkish community, can see the changes themselves and are also part of it and participate in it !
Neighbourhood meeting Doornakkers Praat

- For Place Franois Mitterrand, some partners urged remodelling the space to attract a wide range of users, whereas it has clearly been designed to actually prevent certain groups such as skateboarders. In addition, we realised the lack of small scale features that are needed to generate social activity in an otherwise very large and monumental environment.

Yolanda Van Els, youre part of the Lively Cities team - tell us more about how you consult communities. You meet them regularly for the Lively Cities project - what process do you follow ? Doornakkers is a neighbourhood in Eindhoven that has been designated by the Dutch central government as a special area because of its low income, poverty, insecurity, social problems and low education. In the Netherlands, we have identified 40 such areas. We call them Power Areas (Krachtwijken) and 3 of them are in Eindhoven.

With 7 editions a year the Doornakkers neighbourhood newspaper provides us with a regular communication channel. We also organise a neighbourhood meeting every 8 weeks, where people can determine their own agenda and the issues they would like to discuss. We are always looking for new initiatives from citizens and stakeholders. We think that a combination of good communication, interaction, energy and transformation of the communitys needs into actual projects, has a positive overall influence. People can see their ideas come to fruition in their own neighbourhood.