CONCEPTUAL DRIVERS COLLECTIVE MEMORY PLACEMAKING

The collective memory of a population refers to how a group of people remember the past through the lens of their culture and identity. Collective memory and specifically memory of a place cements specific places and emotions attached to that place into our brain. These positive or negative attachments immortalizes a place into our mind along with our emotions. These emotions can vary greatly based on your own experience or thoughts The collective memory also means that there a collective forgetting within a community. Experiences or places that were not as widely impactful become left behind as time moves on. Without a community to rally behind the memory it becomes forgotten and left behind.

The key to designing public spaces lies in the voices of the community who are growing or outgrowing their current urban environment. Placemaking keeps the communities’ opinions at the core of its design process while aiming to create useful and engaging spaces for people. It is a reaction to the problems faced by people, and it is the direct opposite of current American cities that were built to accommodate cars and infrastructure that divided thriving communities. The intention of placemaking is to promote people’s wellbeing and happiness while also utilizing the wants, needs, and skills of the current population.