Urban Fragmentation and Community Involvement
A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH THROUGH COLLECTIVE MENTAL MAPPING
Abstract
Social fragmentation is a major challenge in contemporary urban planning and has a direct impact on social cohesion. This study focuses on developing a practical method for actively involving communities in decision-making in the urban context, with the aim of strengthening social solidarity.
By analysing specific experiences with different communities, we gather perceptions and needs, highlighting critical areas that contribute to social fragmentation. Documented experiences contribute significantly to our methodological framework, emphasising the importance of actively engaging communities for more inclusive urban design that responds to local needs. Collaboration between designers and communities emerges as central to equitably distributed solutions that promote cohesive and participatory urban fabrics.
By examining the impact of involving communities in the design process, the paper explores how this approach can promote spatial quality. It concludes with practical guidelines for implementing a participatory approach to urban design, based on concrete experiences and meaningful outcomes. In conclusion, the study suggests the potential role of a dedicated professional - a mediator fluent in both community and professional languages - to navigate and bridge the gap, ensuring a more harmonious and responsive urban landscape.
Keywords
cognitive mapping, participatory design, defragmenting communities, spatial research methods
Introduction
The field of urban design covers a vast and complex scale of intervention and requires the involvement of numerous interests and needs. To ensure any successful intervention in the urban context, it is necessary to involve the community that will experience the developments carried on by the project, which can be done through various methods and tools.
Therefore, we assume that the fragmentation of the contemporary city is due to the lack of interaction between those who design the space and those who use it. We believe that in order to achieve a sensitive defragmentation of urban space, it is possible and necessary to start by facilitating dialogue between all those involved and representing different interests. In these terms, we can speak of differentiation and definition of space [from the Latin definition 'to delimit', from finis 'to limit'], rather than of fragmentation, and we can define it as a necessary practice in order to prevent urban areas from becoming homogenised. This practice needs to take some distance from the modernist practice of zoning, now outdated in the name of a better
text + images by
Elisa Cordaro Giovanni Telvecommunication between parties. The question then arises of how to achieve communication between the different actors of a defined urban space, while maintaining a rich and diverse social environment, and how to implement a project that can meet the needs of users. Within the historic context of the city of Munich, which has been divided into zones, the work develops the possibilities of reconnecting the city by increasing the cohesion of its inhabitants.
The tool proposed in this thesis, as a key in the relationship and facilitator of the dialogue between public administration, urban planners and communities of users, is the tool of collective cognitive mapping: an interview method which involves citizens by asking them to represent visually the space they experience, in order for the planners to be able to understand, after a collection and elaboration of the representations, the perceptions of those who have lived and will live that space.
By subjecting a given community to a clear research question offered by the designer through the city administration, it is possible to understand how and where it is most urgent and necessary to act in the context of an urban redevelopment aimed at defragmenting its spaces.
Collective Mental Mapping and Community Involvement: case studies
The phenomenon of urban fragmentation manifests itself in the accumulation of specific uses in a given area, to the exclusion of others, through regulatory restrictions over time. It also corresponds to spaces where planned functions do not match their intended use, which is the result of insufficient community participation in decision-making processes.
The project aims to bring together these isolated parts of the city and promote more accessible, sustainable and participatory urban landscapes.
What is a mental map?
In the context of cartography, a mental map (Lynch, 1960) is a memory-based representation of a place, created by recalling relevant information and committing it to paper. Sulsters (2005) builds on Lynch's theory that maps select objective reality and represent it subjectively, reflecting the brain's exploration and appropriation of spatial context.
The analysis of this tool involves a theoretical and practical approach, requiring comparisons with reality through visual data collection. Workshops involving citizens in creating cognitive maps and researchers in collecting and analyzing them are crucial to this development.
The authors conducted three field research opportunities through workshops, interacting with different urban and social realities. The results were essential in defining a method for reading maps based on specific research purposes. Depending on the project's initial question, different strategies can be implemented to highlight specific parameters.
The C_ENTRO workshop: collecting spatial perceptions of a village to define a collective identity
Borgo Santo Pietro in Sicily became the focus of an urban redevelopment initiative in August 2023, as part of the "Bosco Colto" workshop organised by the University of Catania. In order to understand the historical evolution and spatial challenges of the village, the workshop used the tool of mental maps. The aim was to gather an internal perspective from the inhabitants, addressing the spatial incompleteness and progressive abandonment of the village.
Recognising the different perspectives within the community, the study involved different categories of respondents, including married couples, men, women, widows and a child. With interviews adapted to capture the daily experiences of each group, participants were keen to participate and enthusiastic about contributing to decisions that would shape the future of the village. During the information systemisation phase, all testimonies were given equal weight, fostering a collective understanding of Borgo Santo Pietro's existing perceptions and potential visions. The subsequent exhibition of maps, audio-interviews, photographs and texts gave participants and visitors a comprehensive view of the village's collective identity. This approach, valuing different perspectives equally, not only promoted urban cohesion, but also laid the foundations for dialogue between residents and planners, designing urban projects from the beginning according to community needs.
The workshop at the Oskar von Miller Forum: a larger area of analysis for a more defined community of participants
In November 2023, at the Oskar von Miller Forum in Munich, mind mapping was used as a tool to explore the community and its relationship with the city. Differing from the Borgo Santo Pietro case, this intervention was different in scale, interview mode and research objective. Homogeneous in terms of location, age and field of study (architecture and engineering), the participants were asked to map the entire city of Munich within a concise 10-minute timeframe, highlighting the most relevant aspects of their daily experience.
In difference to the Borgo Santo Pietro approach, this workshop aimed to capture and represent urban space both objectively, reflecting recognised locations, and subjectively, incorporating personal experiences associated with these locations. The resulting graphic overlays on a city map revealed transparency gradients indicating the frequency of recognition and emotional representations derived from personal comments and information. The analysis of 45 maps created by students at the Oskar von Miller Forum provides a solid basis for defining a collective identity image, being t52 the total number of students in this community. The high participation rate indicates the reliability of the findings and the importance of insights from different perspectives within the group. The diversity of perceptions highlights the importance of understanding how a community interprets and engages with space. This experiment, focusing on community and defragmentation, highlighted the complex interplay between different perspectives on urban spaces, revealing potential points of connection and gaps.
The interviews for a project on the Kleingartenverein NO17 community in Munich
The third case study focused on analysing a Munich garden community (Kleingartenverein), specifically Nord East 17 (NO17), with the aim of defragmenting the space and improving community cohesion. Interviews with key figures, including Andreas, a maintenance gardener, Friedrich, the garden manager for 15 years, and Norbert, an allotment holder and urban planner, provided valuable insights.
Through the use of maps and oral interviews, the analysis revealed limited awareness and use of communal spaces among the gardeners. Friedrich's map highlighted the perceived importance of the park as a communal space, suggesting potential opportunities for intervention. In Norbert's map, it was notable that the importance he attributed to the garden was primarily localised to the specific area in which his plot was located. In contrast, the opposite side of the map was comparable in size and importance to the NO03 garden. However, the absence of
Maps collected during the C_ENTRO workshop, August 2023 graphic elaboration by the authors
The map of Suor Claudia, showing her relevant spots in the village graphic elaboration by the authors
Mental mapping by participants at the OvMF workshop photography by the authors
Collective spatial map representing the sites experienced by the Oskar von Miller Forum student community in Munich elaboration by the authors
Collective mapping by different people on a single piece of paper photography by the authors
other gardeners on the maps indicated a lack of cohesion within the community.
From this insight, design decisions were made to encourage community interaction. The project proposed new plot typologies with different gradients of shared space to encourage collaboration, inclusivity and a stronger sense of community. The interview, conducted after an initial design proposal, proved to be crucial in guiding design decisions. This illustrates the importance of collective participation in shaping projects. Despite the challenges of contacting all the gardeners, the information obtained, while not entirely representative, played a key role in the development of the project and highlighted the importance of defragmentation for a more cohesive and inclusive community.
Collective cognitive mapping as a defragmentation tool
Following these applications in different scales of intervention, it is therefore possible to state that the mind map tool can be used in a method of defragmentation of urban space. In order to achieve this, cognitive maps play two roles: the one of contributing to the spatial awareness of a community, and the one of facilitating dialogue between planners and citizens.
Contributing to the spatial awareness of a community
Cognitive maps as an interview formula become an opportunity for citizens to investigate more deeply what their authentic relationship with the place is: in recognizing and determining it, they become more aware and able to participate in design choices later. For this reason, the research objective must be defined in each case in order to structure the interviewees and obtain distinct and personal representations clearly. Thus, mapping is a non-neutral instrument, as the tools made available to produce the mapping can also determine the final result. The manner of representation can follow guidelines (when the case study question is clear already) or be left to the free interpretation of the parties involved (when the starting question still has to emerge and this can be done through interviews).
Facilitating the dialogue between planners and users
By stratifying findings, a community's needs and requirements are defined and included, allowing the relevant content to emerge, as it is rich in information. This makes it easier for planners to read the space and allows them to intervene as possible and therefore useful, sustainable and not fragmenting the space and community itself.
Guidelines to read maps with the aim of defragmenting an urban space
These contributions and experiments lead to the formulation of guidelines for subsequent research focused on spatial or social reconnection within a community.
Survey of the area: Collect photographic material depicting the current state of the space and delve into its spatial and historical development to understand the roots and validate the analysis.
Initial analysis: Systematise the information and draw up perception maps, organised by the experimenter.
Contact with locals: Mixing interviews with questions and maps. Data collection and interpretation: Collect, interpret and process results. Design proposal: Bring together the community's insights with the designer's technical expertise for a sensitive blend.
Positioning the map and interview tools early in the project approach focuses on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of an area to guide decisions. Alternatively, these tools can be used during a project to open a dialogue with citizens and ensure the appropriateness of the initial questions and proposed solutions. Emphasising their adaptability to different times and needs adds value and credibility to their use. Of the points listed, the third is considered the most relevant and merits further development of its content.
Contact with locals: how and to what extent to intervene
When engaging with the community, several key considerations need to be kept in mind to ensure the expected outcome:
Variable interview size: The number of people interviewed will be variable depending on the scale of the intervention. More data collection increases accuracy and overall participation in the research.
Pre-definition of categories: Pre-defining different categories of respondents is based on the initial research question and the specific focus of the intervention for each stakeholder Customised questions: The questions asked are adapted to the respondent's relationship with the site, their social background, their prior knowledge of the site, the level of detail requested and any time frames or demands from the administration.
Limits and challenges of the method
Based on the experience gathered, the main challenges in using the mental map method revolve around the initial contact with citizens. Interviewers need to carefully guide participants through the map-making process, ensuring personal expression while avoiding interference. In the following analysis phase, data interpreters play a crucial role, defining categories and interpreting perceptions with significant strategic implications. This framework shapes how planners or city administrators understand users' perspectives and influences design conclusions. A notable limitation is the potential gap between user perception and representation on paper. This is mitigated by exercises in familiar locations, reducing the complexity of information, and breaking the mapping process into manageable steps, such as creating a list of places before incorporating geographic parameters.
Research conclusions
When using maps as a tool to address spatial fragmentation in a given location, it's crucial to recognise that there is no neutral way to observe, collect data, analyse and present information. Establishing a basic method for approaching the community becomes essential to obtain the desired insights, allowing for adaptation and enrichment based on specific case studies. The importance of a sensitive approach by professionals acting as fair intermediaries between decision-makers and those affected cannot be underestimated. It is essential to ensure the genuine involvement of participants and to consider their perspectives in the decision-making process.
The use of mental maps in research requires a holistic approach, combining both theoretical and practical considerations. While this research focuses on the initial stages of participatory processes to draw design conclusions, further research aims to explore how spaces respond to their social context when planned with user involvement. The potential benefits and sustainability of user engagement, even after the implementation of designs, are critical areas
that further experimentation and research will delve into. There's an emerging need to consider a hypothetical new professional role that acts as a mediator between the community and the professionals - someone who can speak both languages, understand their needs and facilitate effective communication. The role of facilitator requires a dynamic individual with bicultural competence, empathy and adapt communication skills. A commitment to long-term engagement, creativity and an understanding of local dynamics are essential. Flexibility and adaptability navigate evolving contexts and foster collective leadership for inclusive urban projects.
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