Some Frequently Asked Questions about placemaking
Contents What is placemaking?
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Placemaking works across disciplines
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What placemaking is and is not
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Isn't it just a fad, a gimmick?
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Who can do it?
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Why is it important?
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How much does it cost?
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Place improvement ideas
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You get what you plan for and act on
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Learn by doing
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What is placemaking? Places are important. They shape our identity, physical and mental health, life expectancy, employment prospects, wealth and happiness. We can also shape and improve places. With the right principles and approaches, we can create better places, which will lead to better social, economic and environmental outcomes.
‘Placemaking is a philosophy and an iterative, collaborative process for creating public spaces that people love and feel connected to'.
Town Team Movement
Placemaking brings different people, organisations and disciplines together to create positive changes in a place or area. This also includes improving existing spaces to make them more comfortable, accessible, active and attractive. It is a growing global movement that aims to improve not only the physical elements of a space, but also the way people think and feel about the world around them. It’s a practical, cost-effective and implementable approach that can be tailored for each context, place and community.
Placemaking integrates and builds on the expertise of a range of disciplines, including:
Urban design and planning Economic development
Community development
Arts, culture and activation
Engineering & Infrastructure
Sustainability & caring for place Collaborating across disciplines and organisations creates better ideas and more holistic outcomes
Placemaking is
Placemaking is not
About creating places that people love
About delivering a design
A mindset and process
Just about the visible outcomes
People and place focused
Project or policy focused
Visionary, but also practical
A plan or infrastructure alone
Inclusive and collaborative
Done by one person or team
Ongoing, flexible and adaptable
Finished. It’s not one-off events or art
Letting go and sharing responsibility
Top-down control of outcomes
‘Placemaking is like turning a house into a home.' David Engwicht
Isn’t it just a fad? Placemaking is sometimes stigmatised as just about pop-ups, paint and parties. What more people are realising is that it is one of the most important approaches we can use as professionals and as citizens to create happier and healthier people and places. It’s about creating ‘human habitats’. Just like every other animal and plant species, we need certain conditions and environments to be able to thrive. Many parts of modern cities don’t allow for this. They are soulless, cardominated, lonely, unsafe or disconnected. Placemaking has very ancient roots, taking inspiration from the custodianship that traditional cultures have over their lands and communities. It encourages us to think like gardeners. How could we plant the right seeds, in the right places to encourage social connections, economic activity and a better environment?
Who can do it? Everyone can contribute to creating great places and stronger communities. It's an excellent way to meet people, build new skills and make a difference! We all want to live, work, run a business and spend time in spaces and places that are comfortable, safe, interesting and welcoming. Great places don’t just happen by accident. Professionals work hard every day to make it happen, but thriving places also need the knowledge, care and contributions of local people.
‘In inclusive and equitable places, citizens feel (first) that they are welcome, and (second) that it is within their power to change those places through their own actions.’
Project for Public Spaces
It's not just "the local authority’s job". Even picking up a piece of rubbish (trash) helps! Giving back and helping your community is a great way to create a better place for yourself and your family. Placemaking challenges the existing structures, cultures and mindsets of governments. It also provides opportunities for residents, landowners and businesses to be active contributors, rather than passive consumers.
Why is it important?
Opportunities
Challenges
Why is placemaking a priority for local governments? 1
Local governments can’t do it all, but current approaches increase expectations
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Higher expectations drive higher costs, but revenue doesn’t grow as fast
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Trust in governments and institutions is falling
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People give up when it’s too hard. This puts pressure back on to local governments
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Working with the community builds trust and can lead to better decision-making
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It’s an organisational development process and improves culture
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It helps to mitigate strategic and project risks
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It supports local businesses. Great places are good for business!
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It generates positive media and creates community pride
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It’s about action. It can push through inertia and build positive momentum
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
How much does it cost? Placemaking is more a way of thinking and acting, rather than a particular outcome. It uses a spectrum of activities, from the temporary and tactical, through to strategic frameworks and major place infrastructure upgrades. It costs whatever you like. There are plenty of things you can do for free, or with a low budget. And there’s always things to spend money on if you have lots of it! Town Team Movement’s 50 Quick Wins Guide contains 50 simple ‘recipes’ that you could do to improve your place, ranging from the free to the low-cost.
Place improvement can happen at all levels Place improvement is most effective and impactful when smaller-scale quick wins and major strategic initiatives complement each other.
Community -led actions
Tactical urbanism
Creative and cultural
Economic development
Examples include:
Examples include: Streetscape improvement trials Traffic calming Moveable picnic tables or seats Better Blocks Temporary artworks Play Streets Pop-up events Parklets
Examples include: Murals - including wall, road and pavement artwork Cultural gatherings & events Cultural or heritage walks Public art Music events Porchfests
Examples include: Encouraging street trading Policy and process improvements Permissions-based approaches ‘Yes if ...” agreements Night-time activations Trader engagement Place marketing and promotions
Social events Jane’s Walks Street trading and outdoor dining Festivals and markets Verge gardens Micro grant projects Artworks Environmental projects
Place strategy Examples include: Placemaking Framework Major redevelopments Place Plans Streetscape improvement plans Place governance Capital works programs Space upgrades Placemaking training
You and act acton on Youget getwhat whatyou youplan plan for and
If you plan for, fund and deliver more roads and car parking, you’ll get more traffic (not places for people).
If you plan for, fund and support active people and thriving places, you’ll get active people and thriving places.
Adapted from a famous quote from Project for Public Spaces
"We do not need, and indeed never will have, all the answers before we act ... It is often through taking action that we can discover some of them”. Charlotte Bunch
Contact us anytime! Website: www.placemaking.education Email: hello@placemaking.education