5.a place making

Question 1

What is meant by the term placemaking?

Answer 1

Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces.

• Placemaking capitalises on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well being.

Question 1

What does placemaking focus on?

Answer 1

• It has people at the heart
• About how the environment would benefit society
• Placemaking is not just for economic gain
• It relates to place identity and perception

Question 2

what is the role of the government in placemaking?

Answer 2

• Improving air quality
• Reducing crime rates
• Increasing social cohesion
• Attracting FDI

Question 3

What does the term FDI mean?

Answer 3

The investment from one country to another usually by companies that involves setting up of operations and asset acquisition

Question 4

Why would governments need to attract FDI for placemaking?

Answer 4

• To be able to advance the economic development of the place
• Create new jobs
• Create a competitive, dynamic and globally connected places
• For access to new technology, products, skills and financing
• To become more actively involved in international business activities

Question 5

How do governments attract FDI?

Answer 5

• Reinventing a place → changing its use
• Planning → incentivising developments
• Land - use zoning → creating enterprise areas
• Creating supplementary infrastructure e.g transport ( make them seem attractive for investment)
• Specific policies ( tax incentives / special economic zones) → incentives for investments

Question 6

Whats an example of governments role in place making?

Answer 6

Dubai

Question 7

What ways did governments and FDI make dubai?

Answer 7

• Establishing → emirates airline which was a state owned airline which was managed by western experts - initially bringing surrounding regions by 1990 flying to hubs like England
• Businessman lured by the prospect of tax free salaries
  Legislation → Patriot act → made investing in the US seem less appealing to wealthy individuals
• Jebel Ali port - ‘free zone’ → brought prosperity → then set out to create many more free zones

Question 8

What is a planner?

Answer 8

An urban planner decides what can be built and where and how outdoor areas will be used.

• Theyfocus of the big picture of the community needs and the impact on surrounding areas.

Question 9

What is the importance of planners?

Answer 9

Local authorities within the Uk have their
own planning departments

• A local plan is designs in local areas
• This plan sets the framework of the developments
• The royal Town Planning institute guides all professional planners and architects

Question 10

What is an architect?

Answer 10

create the actual design and are primarily concerned with their client’s needs.

Question 11

Whats the importance of architects?

Answer 11

• Through their designs they reflect the history and culture of the place
• They influence how we live our lives

Question 12

What happens if designs are good?

Answer 12

Designs that work well are valued and cared for and therefore are upkept

Question 13

What happens if designs are bad?

Answer 13

Whereas if designed badly they become liabilities to individuals and begin to lead to graffiti,crime and lack of maintenance

Question 14

What do planners and architects focus on?

Answer 14

• improve environmental quality
• designing buildings and public spaces
• increase social cohesion
• reflecting the history and culture of the place
• attracting tourists

Question 15

Why is design important in placemaking?

Answer 15

• Can attract interest into the area
• Can increase positive perceptions of place - makes an area recogniseable
• Can reflect the history and culture of the place
• Design can influence how our lives are lived → if done well ^ social cohesion
  **Design that pleases people works well and tends to be cared for. But some places can lead to crime, vandalism, high maintenance costs, poor health and a feeling of isolation for those living in them. **

Question 16

Reasons for negative designs

Answer 16

• Financial constraints - especially for social housing
• Lack of space - some places have no choice to build up rather than out
• Design doesn’t automatically lead to a cohesive society

Question 17

What is a 24hr city?

Answer 17

The idea of ‘cities that never sleep’ - such as Mumbai and Cairo having long histories of this concept

Question 18

How is london a 24hr city?

Answer 18

Planners and architects are developing ideas that promote a 24 hour city

• In london late night bus routes have doubled (1999-2013 passengers tripled)
• Five underground lines operating 24hrs on the weekends
• By 2015 50 McDonalds opened 24 hrs
• Gyms and hairdressers open until after midnight
• 250 licensed premises remain open

Question 19

what has the growth of 24 hr cities caused for?

Answer 19

• The growth of 24hr cities is shifting perceptions of unsafe at night
• Allows for more creative kids in the city → more likely to attract investment

Question 20

what is a community group?

Answer 20

Locally based community organisations, registered charity,community interest company or not for profit organisation.

Question 21

What do community groups do?

Answer 21

• Where a number of people get together for a common purpose or interest
• The group may provide support for each other, or support others that need some help in providing for their own needs.
• They share skills and resources to achieve the goals of the group.

Question 22

What is a priority for community groups?

Answer 22

• improvinf environmental air quality
• reducing crime rates
• increasing social cohesion
• reflecting the culture and history of the place
• promoting the use of community centre

Question 23

how do governments, community groups and planners and architects interact?

Answer 23

Govt (in charge agree or disagree on projects/ get the investment -) → work with architect and planners to get the design → local community groups (ones hold govt to account if it will actually benefit the locals)

Question 24

When did community groups first come into existence?

Answer 24

Came into existence in 20s/30s when urban areas were rapidly expanding with new developments on greenfield sites focused on the generation of community.

Question 25

Example of community group

Answer 25

Newcourt in Exter provide 3700 dwellings →a community group established to influence the making of this place from a locals viewpoint

Question 26

What are resident associations?

Answer 26

Residents associations → concerned with housing, community and environmental matters
Important at a local scale → such as protecting local businesses / services

Question 27

What are heritage associations?

Answer 27

active in placemaking that includes character based architecture to protect the history and culture of a place

Question 28

Contribution to placemaking in preserving

Answer 28

Physical - buildings,machinery, people characteristics
Human - ways of living

Question 29

How can social media contribute to place making?

Answer 29

Social media
It is being used to encourage public participation and collaboration in placemaking.
Concept of ‘Power of 10+’ → places thrive if individuals have several reasons to be in the place
Social media allows these patterns to be shared

Question 30

Balitmore example - integrating it all

Answer 30

Used engineers,planners and architects but also employed an online crowdsourcing application allowing local people to identify open spaced that mattered to them

Locals and professionals contributed to the final plan