This Must Be Our Place Workbook 3 - The Politics of What Makes A Place

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The politics of what makes a plAce There is a glossary at the end of the introductory booklet filled with some words that might be new to you.

THIS MUS T BE OUR PLACE

The politics oF whAT makes A place ”Great public spaces not only highlight local assets and serve common needs, but are also spaces for new forms of solidarity.”

What, Who, wHerE and WHy? The meaning of a place can be found through the experience of being within it, participating in its activities, and telling stories about it. These experiences allow for places to shape people’s identities and values. Look closely at the physical, cultural, and social identities that define the place you’re in.

It’s time to get to know who lives, works and makes up the community of your place. A census is made up every ten years in Scotland (2022 and every 10 years thereafter). Do you think you have a good understanding of the different kinds of people that make up your community?

on s pt ge m o pr t pa e se nex the

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Do you know how many different languages are spoken in this area?

How has this place changed over time?

Are the streets or spaces around you busy, always full of people or is it quiet with lots of space?

Who lives around here?

Lots of young people, older people, families or students?

Who rules these streets, traffic or pedestrians?

Think about amenities, what’s missing? Do you have a post office you could walk to?

A food shop? A library?

A swimming pool?

What foods from different cultures can you enjoy in your neighborhood?

SloGaNs fOr Your PlAce Based on your conversations in your group, split into small groups and come up with a slogan to encourage people to spend time in your place. Think about all the great things you like about this place (and why it is unique or special to you) and create a slogan to share that with others!

For example; “Galaxyto wn: more than 24 language s spoken h ere by loc residents al , come an d t a ste our delicious foods from different p the world arts of all on one s t r e e t, Everyon is welcom e e.”

e f th for o p e to he top ing h t t t ts a ay to r wash , i s ock your w e. You p here l l i “H ind sunris cker u F . l i hil t or es qu e!” e s z sun 10 tim bree a s drie k, it’s oc Hill

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Present your slogans to the other groups, if you have time you can make a drawing or image to go along with the slogan. Think of interesting ways to present the text in your slogan, you could use cut out letters or make images around the text.

SloGa N ideas !

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COmmon Good PosterS fOr Public Space Public spaces are social spaces that are open and accessible to people. Roads, public squares, parks and buildings which are open to the public, such as public libraries, public swimming pools and community centres are public spaces.

When we think of spaces within a community, town, or city we can see that they are built in a way of separating public and private spaces. This division is used to control access from one place to another.

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In groups make a list or add to your map public and private spaces. Draw the boundary lines on the map between these places. Think about those spaces where public and private intersect like a public square with a private advertising board on it or a privately owned car park off a public lane. Look at the balance of public and private space on your map or list.

In which of these spaces do you feel welcome?

Is there a space tha t you thin should be k moved fro m private ownership to public o wnership ?

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ND A S T P PROM ION S S U C S DI UPS O R G N I

Reclaim public space! In your group make a poster celebrating this new publicly owned space. The poster can tell us what happens in this space that is now ours and how people can use/ share/occupy it. Put your poster up in this place the next time you’re passing.

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Rename thE streetS Look at the street names and place names on your map. Think about the history of some of these names. Who names our streets and why? Do the names relate to the history of the area or reflect the local landscape and population? What can we learn from the history of the names of our streets, landmarks and places?

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In small groups pick a street, landmark or place you would like to rename to make it more meaningful to you. Can you come up with a new name for this place that means something to you and your group? Maybe each person gets to choose a street or a place to rename or maybe you work together as a group. You can add your place’s new name to the map we made in the first activity.