Sense of Place (2009)

Creating a Sense of Place in the Western Growth Corridor Architecture Sans Frontières-UK consortium contribution created by:

Jeni Burnell

Feburary 2010

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introduction

Architecture Sans Frontieres-UK (ASF) worked within a consortium team* for the ‘Sense of Place’(SoP) programme in Birmingham.

Commissioned by Urban Living**, SoP engaged local people from the Soho and Dudley Road areas in a variety of creative, art based activities in order to uncover their ambitions and aspirations for their neighbourhood. By working closely within existing neighbourhood networks and with Urban Living, this information was developed into a significant body of work which informed the regeneration process for the Western Growth Corridor. pledges

SoP was developed on the principles of a ‘bottom-up’ approach to community development - the practice of harnessing the emotional and social assets of an area so that one can make meaningful and appropriate contributions to a regeneration process.

This booklet is a process more than a product. Its aim is to share with you the tools and techniques that ASF used to engage with people during our time on the SoP programme. Many of the techniques, such as transect walks & community mapping, are activities borrowed from the Participatory Learning Appraisal (PLA) toolkit, which is widely used in the international development sector.

PLA ‘describes a growing family of approaches and methods to enable local people to share, enhance and analyse their knowledge of life and conditions, to plan and to act.’ (Robert Chambers, 1992)

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community event

It is ASF’s hope that by sharing the SoP experience we can start to unravel what a professionals role is in community development projects. For our part, we see this role (be it as the artist, architect, urban planner or local authority worker) as one of a facilitator. It is our job to listen, encourage, probe, verify, expect the unexpected and not dominate the development process so that the voices of community people can inform the future practice and policies which effect their lives.

Introduction Process Dudley Road Community Mapping Soho Road Transect Walk Sight & Sound Mapping Workshop Living Room Catalyst Event Conclusion

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*The Sense of Place consortium includes community arts organisation Multistory, Architecture Sans Frontières-UK, Nabeel Hamdi, 00: Architecture and Digital Native Academy (DNA) ** Birmingham and Sandwell Housing Renewal Pathfinder

process

Scale Up 1. Incorporate community-based social enterprise initiatives, such as design and construction of street furniture, bus stops, and the greening of public spaces, into the masterplan implementation strategy 2. Increase capacities of existing community liaison team (i.e town centre managers, street champions, traders) in order that they have a platform for engaging further with policy makers.

3. Develop a framework / platform which encourages inventive partnering opportunities between civil society groups and local authorities.

Lesson Learnt | Organisation 1. Continue development process by building on partnerships which have been initiated through SoP. 2. Findings from SoP activities are formally captured in existing strategic plan for the area.

3. Continue to establish clear and accessible tools for communication between professionals and community.

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Primary Causes 1. Address issues of territoriality (physical space)

Sense of Place Engaged local people from the Soho and Dudley Road areas in Birmingham in a variety of creative activities in order to uncover their ambitions and aspirations about their neighbourhood, and in turn, have the potential to inform a regeneration process.

2.Improve business / social enterprise opportunities by improving links between community and policy makers.

3. Increase mechanisms for civil society to engage with governing authorities and create more cohesive development strategies which reflect local identities.

Community Action Planning Community action planning captures social and emotional assets about a people and place. It generates information for the ‘practitioner’ including: Who is who? Who’s doing what? How are they doing it? What currently works and what doesn’t?

SoP Activities 1. Soho Road Transect Walk 2. Dudley Road Community Mapping 3. Sight & Sound Workshop

Catalyst Event: Living Room Based on information gathered during the mapping activities, the Living Room event was created on the Soho Road. It invited people to DO | DREAM | PLEDGE in order to spark a catalyst for change in the community (physical, social etc)

Lesson Learnt | Practice 1. Find new ways of connecting community level activities with larger strategic aims for the area.

One method could be to include community managers in masterplanning process so that direct and relevant actions at community level can inform the strategic plan

Dudley Road Mapping

Community Mapping There is a wide range of creative techniques which can be used to map a community.

Community Mapping captures social and emotional assets about a people and place.

At the same time it generates information for the ‘practitioner’ including: Who is who?

Who’s doing what? How are they doing it?

And what currently works and what doesn’t?

Mapping creates initial contact between practitioners and the community and begins the process of building trust and networks with people. Additionally, it identifies issues that have the potential to be developed in the future - starting with small interventions which can be scaled up.

We would like a new playground as the one in Summerfield park which had equipment we could play on was recently replaced with equipment for the younger children

Park Keeper (Summerfield Park) – I don’t like all the rubbish in the park and the subsequent rat problem.

When I first moved to the area it was quite dirty. I would like to see it further developed with more classes for older people & my daughter [ballet].

Dudley Road |10:00 - 18:00 | October 2009 For SoP a hand drawn map of the Dudley Road was created and placed in several locations along the Dudley Road Summerfield Park, outside LiDL and in the residential area.

We asked people what they liked and didn’t like about their area and used the map as a tool for sparking conversations and as a documentation device for their comments.

4 portable ‘low-tech’ area map was created | colour + face [happy or sad] + location = information

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Emerging Issues | Dudley Road

crime

There was a diverse range of information gathered throughout the day of mapping.

Simple tools and techniques (such as colour coding people’s comments) were used by the team which later allowed this information to be easily analysed - for quality and quantity.

From this a set of key themes emerged, which become the basis for further investigations.

hygiene RED - Children 0-12 SAD FACE = negative comment GREEN = man 18+

HAPPY FACE = positive comment YELLOW = women 18+

BLUE - Young People 13-18

facilities total

5 comments from the map were documented and emerging themes were clustered for further investigation ‘Bullseye’ diagram documents quantitive ‘snap shot’ data

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‘everything is information...’

Soho Road Transect Walk

There is a saying, ‘I see what I see very clearly, but what am I actually looking at?’ A transect walk is an initial exercise undertaken by a practitioner to meet people and observe the surroundings and resources available in an area.

Transect walks are planned by drawing a ‘transect line’ through various zones in an area. Information from the walk is captured through drawings, photographs and converstations with people along the way.

On a rainy Friday afternoon just off the Soho Road tables have been set up on the pavement selling a selection of plants. The seller is a lady who lives in the area. She sits in a nearby car and comes over to the stand whenever anyone shows interest in a purchase. The space has been negotiated from a neighbouring shop owner and the small amount of money made from selling plants helps supplement the ladies income when times get a little tight.

As part of SoP, we spent time ‘transecting’ the Soho and Dudley Road areas. Understanding that absolutely everything is information, we observed the colour and vibrancy of the place noting the diverse informal enterprises that were present as well as making initial observations of potential issues.

6 why is rubbish piled up?

is the bandstand ever used?

why are there signs about rats?

where is the money going?

who goes here?

community mapping

Sight & Sound Workshop

The Sight and Sound workshop was an intensive mapping activity. It involved a creative collaboration between the project team and a year four class from a local primary school in the Soho Road area.

After individual and group mapping exercises, area analysis and participatory lyric and music composition, the class created and performed an aspirational musical piece about their area.

Sight & Sound | Key Principles 1. Education remains fundamental to bringing about change. By working with school students we aimed to raise awareness about issues that the students themselves identified as important so that long-term, small changes could begin to occur.

Soho Road

2. The workshop used a wide range of creative techniques (drawing, painting, music). This method allowed for a diverse range of issues to emerge with each activity. ‘Triangulation’ of key information sources was also possible.

3. Consultation fatigue is a well know hazard of community engagement. The collaborative process of Sight and Sound allowed the project team to gather valuable information about the area whilst teaching a range of art and music based skills to the students.

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Sight & Sound | Process Key themes emerged from the mapping and photography exercises including safety and security, waste management and greening of the area.

This information formed the basis for a musical piece, which would be written and composed by the class. ‘if I could I would...’ became the aspirational starting point for their song.

Sight & Sound | Emerging Issues ‘add more traffic lights’ ‘have a youth centres’ ‘clean roads’ ‘change the ally ways (too dark!)’ ‘don’t make the building’s too high’ ‘more parks!’ ‘more zebra crossings (on Soho Road)’ ‘more lollipop people!’

shops litter graffiti trees 8 Students took photographs of their area - telling us a story of what they liked and disliked. These key issues were discussed and clustered.

‘if I could I would....’ //:People walk past and say hello, even if they do not know Our community is kind and helpful Our park, peaceful and calm :// We jog, picnic, walk, play as one and we got shops for everyone including ‘ONE STOP’!

What do we do? if I could I would....

What do we need?

‘Fine for litter and give to community!’

To help our community breath? if I could I would....

How to feel?

‘Teach about recycling. Help the people learn!’

Why do we wish?

For things to change... if I could I would....

Well listen to this....

‘Put some lamps in the alley alley. IT’s TOO DARK!’

Schools are sick, everyone can mix Handsworth, Handsworth

if I could I would.... .

‘Clean rubbish from the alley alley. IT’S NO GOOD’!

Litter’s the problem that we all dislike It stinks, causes rats, it’s all over our streets.

if I could I would....

‘Tell people to put rubbish out the day it’s picked up!’

//: Fast food wrappers, chicken bones, ripped rubbish bags NO MORE! Junk and carpets dumped in front of OUR DOOR! ://

if I could I would....

‘Teach people to respect the state of other’s gardens!’

The short cut alley is all pitch back Bad graffiti, isn’t safe. You won’t come back //: Don’t set foot at night, there isn’t any light! ://

if I could I would....

‘Stop dumping in the street and the alley ways!’ if I could I would....

‘Stop people playing knock and run [DON’T DO IT!]!!

9 The lyrics and instrumental composition were developed in a participatory way with the students

Living Room Catalyst Event

The Living Room | Saturday 23 January 2010 The Living Room was a one day community event on the Soho o Road. The idea was to create a scene that could spark conversation, rsation on, ig g and by raising awareness, act as a ‘catalyst’ for bringing aboutt big ng g: change through small actions. The event achieved the following: 1. Launched the Community Champion Scheme (Neighbourhood Apprentices)

Living Room | Pledges Highlights ‘Plant trees at Wilts Green School.’

‘Carry on being a tidy citizen, putting out rubblish on collection day.’

‘Get a street warden for every road in the area!’

‘Take part in clean up day!’

‘Plant more trees around hedge in front yard.’

2. Created an opportunity to bring people together to discuss common goals and ambitions for their area and make pledges to bring about lasting difference through small changes.

3. Improved perceptions of public space on the Soho Road.

4. Showcased findings from community mapping activities and the opportunity to build on key themes by further discussion with wider community.

5. Continued to increase capacities of community liaison team by creating opportunities for continued network building.

10 Forging community networks. Throughout the day people potted plants and made pledges...small steps with potential for lasting change.

Conclusion

The Sense of Place programme is the start of a conversation. Its a conversation that many professionals and planning departments are having around the country that seeks to uncover effective ways of listening to people and understanding their aspirations in order to build places that make people’s lives better.

Can these conversations become a book, a library, the start of a new urban movement?

If yes, it will require everyone who is working with ‘community’ to start questioning what their role is within this dynamic process of creating place and space - be it physical, social or political.

For success to occur, this requires professionals to practice what they preach. To start talking with each other across disciplines so that a new way of working - one that encourages debate, embraces difference and accepts collaboration as standard working practice.

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Contact

Architecture Sans FrontièresUK The Old Music Hall 106-108 Cowley Road Oxford OX4 3AF Telephone

01865 403 142 Website

www.asf-uk.org Project Manager

Jeni Burnell jburnell@asf-uk.org

Architcture Sans Frontières-UK (ASF) is an architecture based chairty focused on education and training in sustainable building practice and community development.

ASF would like to thank Urban Living, Multistory and the Sense of Place consortium team. A very special thank you to everybody from the Soho and Dudley Road areas who shared their time, creative energies and imaginations with us in order to make this programme a success.

© Jeni Burnell ASF

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