Bridgefoot Street Pop Up Event

UCD Landscape Architecture Student Site Specific Pop Up Event at Bridgefoot Street.

TURAS Report May 2016.

Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Background 1.2 Methodology 2. Pop Up Interventions (co-authored with Sophie von Maltzan) 3. At the Event 4. Acknowledgments 5. Appendix - Posters from Students.

1. Introduction 1.1 Background EU TURAS: Transitioning towards Urban Resilience And Sustainability.

The TURAS initiative brings urban communities and businesses together with local authorities and academic researchers to innovate and collaborate on developing practical new solutions for building sustainable and resilient European cities.

Schematic layout of the site from the Liberties EIP Greening strategy document.

Roisin Byrne, (UCD, TURAS research assistant and landscape architect), has been allowed witness the Bridgefoot Park Community Campaign since March 2015. The community was interested to build awareness of the site, as a neighborhood park for the Liberties area. The park is schematically set out in the Liberties Environmental Improvements Plan, published 2014. According to the plan the Liberties area is low in quality green space (0.7sqm/person) compared to the rest of the city (49sqm/person). (http://www.dublincity.ie/sites/ default/files/content/RecreationandCulture/Dub- linCityParks/Documents/liberties%20greening%20 strategy.pdf)

The observations contribute knowledge to one of the TURAS solutions: ‘ComPass’. This is a tool for guiding communities through the process of place activation.

Site on a sunny morning, is emerging into a novel ecosystem and supporting biodiverse life.

Knowledge for the guide has come from TURAS case studies, such as Granby Park, Clontarf, Robert Emmet CDP Community Garden along with contributed and witnessed sources from the Cork Street Park process, Mountjoy Square Society and the Irish Architectural Foundation in regard to the Ballyfermot Play Park process. Knowledge is also contributed from SME and public practitioners see www.turas-cities.eu For Community: “In 2008, Robert Emmet Community Development Project ... started and managed a community garden there [Bridgefoot Street Site] which involved many 100s of local people and community organizations during the years it ran... [and] led to the community garden in its present form, managed by Dublin City Council and resulted in the site being [proposed] as a park [within the Liberties Greening Strategy] having been previously earmarked for housing. Its very important that local modest community action is recognized and not overlooked”. www.recdp.ie.

The Robert Emmet Community Development Program keep bees near the site. Children have been involved in harvesting the honey. (Image the Robert Emmet CDP)

Remnants of these gardens can still be seen today.

Students in DCC presenting proposals as part of the UCD Landscape Architecture site-specific module.

Students on site gaining an appreciation for the existing conditions.

Student designed poster for the POP Up Event.

In January 2016 Roisin Byrne invited Sophie von Maltzan, (SME, Fieldworks & Strategies, UCD Landscape Architecture site-specific module tutor) to consider the Bridgefoot site for the site-specific student learning elective. The students visited the site on several occasions and became familiar with its history and context. They were also given a tour of the surrounding area by local activist Tony O Rourke, an active member of the Bridgefoot Park community campaign. Tony highlighted the lack of ‘Places for the kids to play’ in the area. Having considered the context and precedents for landscape / artistic interventions the students made low cost proposals to the Parks and Landscape Services department of Dublin City Council. These proposals were approved and a collaborative process of preparing the site for the ‘Pop Up’ was initiated from there.

1.2 Methodology As part of their site-specific elective module 20 Students from UCD Landscape Architecture undertook a project to design a Pop Up intervention. This event took place on the weekend of April 22nd-23rd 2016.

Students preparing the external intervention. (Image credit John Rooney)

The UCD students worked in four groups to develop interventions. Their aim was to recreate awareness of the site among the people of the Liberties area through colorful, playful interactive sculptural temporary interventions. Also, their intention was to attract people to the site and allow opportunities to change perceptions of the site, to open the site to allow people from the Liberties to familiarize themselves with the site. This event marked the beginning of the participatory process both for the students , community of interest, Parks and Local area department (to record what the people of the area want for the site).

On the day, Dermot Foley Landscape Architects; Simon Cruz, Philip Doran and Ana Ogric joined in to converse with those who arrived. The team showed blank plans and introduced design elements to consider, such as play areas and seating.

2. Pop Up Interventions To the exterior of the site, a fence intervention consisted of colorful tape and blue parcel labels with ‘I wish ...’ written on them. These were attached to the fence. At the Pop Up event people were invited to write their wishes for the site on them. Helium balloons were used on the fence and together with the tape made an inviting impression on approach.

Pop Up on Friday, Dermot Foley Landscape Architects use the temporary tables to engage people with plans of the site. (Image Credit John Rooney)

Within the site, to the horizontal plane of the old tennis courts, line-marking paint was used to make a large scale playful doodle pattern. At the event the children were invited to interact in various ways of imaginative play. The students mixed large quantities of chalk paint, which were used to color out the doodle. Chalk paint was also used on the surrounding paths to point people towards the Pop Up event.

Cable spools and pallets were used as movable seating and tables. The UCD Students also interviewed members of the community with respect to their history, connection and their wishes for the site.

Children enjoying imaginative play with chalk paint. (Image Credit John Rooney)

3. At the Event Over the two days 55 people who were not part of the Bridgefoot Park community campaign or students attended the Pop Up event.

Video documentation of the event https://youtu. be/gFLp8DrD6-c Comparative note: On the Ballyfermot People First Process average the engagement on community events was 15 people per event, 21 events over a 3-month period. On Street Conversation Report to Bull Island – What’s it to you? 177 people were recorded over 3 days in 8 locations.

Teenagers enjoying the access to the space. (Image credit John Rooney)

The ‘I wish’ labels on the outer fence were harvested digitally, below a list of wishes I wish…

Wishes

For a playground For a community shed For happiness For a skate park For more council housing A place for children to play There was something for all the kids to keep them entertained Some green To remove asphalt, railings, plant trees, flowers benches I could have a playground and football pitch A nice park for kids We could have a nice park We miss trees in Dublin and we are from Amsterdam Something for the kids A community park Green area Forest Park, Water Feature To have a park for everyone.

4. Acknowledgements Bridgefoot Park Community Campaign and everyone who visited the Pop Up. Richard Talpin, Liberties Men’s Shed, sharing stories with the students, spreading the word.

Dermot Foley Landscape Architects; Simon Canz, Philip Doran, Ana Ogric, for engaging the Pop Up visitors with conversation and visual artifacts of plans and elements.

UCD Landscape Architecture’s Michael Heuric and Sophie von Maltzan who have developed the site specific module over the last 4/5 years. The UCD Students; Larissa Paiva, Rayanna Mendonca, Nichele Rossi, Daniele De Marzo, Covadonga Celigueta, Guicherme Paiva, Ana Raquel Valerio, Adrian Dantas, Daniela Ciarvi, Fabio De Castro, Ana Luiza Prata, Camila Faxini, Elise Collet, Jamie Collet, Jamie Stafford, Sylivia Charkiewicz, Cian O Donnell, Kieva Amante, Matthew Mulvey and Helene Copin.

DCC’s Peter Leonard and Oisin Griffin Landscape Architects, who approved and facilitated with practical help and support.

Siobhan Maher Planning and public realm, lots of advice and practical help for the event.

Local Area Office’s David Healy, Gabriel Malone, Mary Lynch, Brian Lyons, Fran O’ Shay, Local area office, for so much practical support, financial support for materials and patience. Eamon and Denis and the parks team, who got the site safe and ready.

TURAS’s Roisin Byrne, Dr. Anita McKeown, Dr. Karen Foley and Dr. Marcus Collier.

BRIDGEFOOT PARK As part of the ‘Site Specific Design’ module, we have organized a ‘pop up’ event in a gated site, closed down after the demolition of flats. The aim was to raise awareness about the site before landscape architects lead a community consultation. In other words, to bring the derelict area back to the community’s daily lives and make them think about its past and future use.

In cooperation with Dublin City Council, we thought of strategies for people to imagine and tell their needs and wishes.

Notes with the inscriptions “I wish ...” were placed all around the fence.

Land floor plans were given together with attributes to them, such as courts, playgrounds and water features to be arranged in the paper.

People from the commuinity have been interviewed to record an archive of what the site used to be and for the current community needs to begin to rise up.

chickens

I’m a UCD student and we’re trying to get an idea of how people feel about this place. Do you mind if ...

We used to have community gardens here, 5 years ago.

It used to be used a lot and every year we used to have a family fun day here, with installations with balloons, live performances, graffiti.

It happened even after the community gardens weren’t here anymore.

Instead of going to the park, we used to come in here and have our little walks here.

I would love this space to become a peaceful area suitable for different age groups. I’d like to see the community bond again.

When people are in control of how the surroundings are, they could make it work positively.

For the development of this area there should be more engagement of the local people.

I think the plan of a park is very good, but I think people having a sense of ownership is very important.

I would like to see a playground for

kids here, ‘cause there are so many kids around this area, so they wouldn’t need to be on the streets.

I remember this place when there were flats here, 25 years ago.

The fence is intimidating from outside. When the community garden was made here, we tried to at least paint it, so it wouldn’t keep this impression.

The space is in a beautiful location and it has a really strong community.

I feel like it has a great potential to become a great recreational space.

I think this area is very vulnerable for developers to come in.

For me it should be an alternative park, an urban park rather than a standard park, that can kind of change. Spaces for people to sit down and

get together.

SITE SPECIFIC DESIGN UCD Landscape Architecture

around the area. It We had was a great idea because local schools were getting involved and they used to bring younger children around and they used to pick up and clean the eggs. People in the school used to bake with these eggs. It was also great for the community as people used to come in and feed the chickens. It was always nice to have with the neighbours.

a little chat

I first saw this place in 2006 after moving back to this area. It was closed down, full of rubbish until they finally cleaned it up. I thought it was an abandoned site and now they are finally doing something with it.

We used to have a pigeon loft. Pople from the Irish version of Dragon’s Den helped out and funded it. Since then it got bigger and more people were getting involved in taking care of it.

Different age groups came in to keep it clean and feed the pigeons. It was great because

it kept the younger people out of trouble.

They had a new interest, something to do. We also had a bench and we just came in to watch the birds. It was great for the community spirit.

Everyone got along. However, the loft got moved to somewhere else in the city when the place got locked up and the number of people involved has dropped greatly.

Sylwia Charkiewicz Camila Faxini Hélène Copin

Do you remember the first time you saw this area?

What would you like to see in here?

We used to come in here, and

s it in th e s u n at any time of the day. There was

a sense of belonging.

Then the space was locked up and our little community space was taken away from us.

RECORDING AN ARCHIVE, INTERVIEWS

BRIDGEFOOT PARK TO REINVENT URBAN SPACES The idea is to realise a colourful fence as a focal point, to attract attention and create interest and curiosity. The fence, real obstacle in this project because of its size and its grey colour, can be reinterpreted as an attraction if we redesign it.

Usually, colourful element in the landscape attract people, so this is the process we wan to establish, by putting a series of colored ribbons in the fence, blue, red, orange and black. An other part of our work is to allow people to tell us their wishes for the new park. Thus, we will provide some “I wish” papers close to the fence, and people could put them on after writing what they want to the future in this area.

DETAILS:

Colour Pattern: ‘I wish’ Papers:

Adhesive Tapes:

REFERENCES

EVENT

PREPARATION

PROPOSAL

FRONTAL VIEW

The fence fulfilled its role, arousing interest of people who passed through the region, thereby assisting in the divulgation of the event and allowing people to express their wishes for the region, in an interactive, casual and participatory way.