the Project(s) "I begin with a little girl’s hair. That I know is a good thing at any rate…" G.K. Chesterton
All ecosystems are rich. Obviously, there are millions of "Citizens projects" happening in any town. Which are the ones that could be "supported", or "helped"? ● The ones that are closer to the center of the stage? ● The ones that have needs easier to identify? ● The ones who need what we can give them (i.e, materials, technical assistance, friends in high places?)
"Desayuno con Viadantes" Breakfast with passers- by Since 2008, Valencia, Spain.
the Place(s) Whatever SPACE and TIME mean, PLACE and OCCASION MEAN MORE. Aldo Van Eyck
Abandoned places, terrain vagues, empty lots, neglected areas and "below bridges" are usually available to be taken over. What happens when we want to refurbish, manage and/or activate and area that is not abandoned? Should we find a suitable place first or a community in the need of a space?
The space of autoBarrios in its original state and shape. January 2012, Madrid
the Community(es) Communities is how "neighbourhoods" are called in America. Traditional bottom-up false friend.
How to empower the community involved in bottom-up urbanism? Usually, when a new opportunity arises, a group gets together around that chance, but also a strong community can start a project of their own What will the community specifically find when managing a public space?
AutoBarrios kids community November 2013, Madrid
the intervention(s) of Support (In his writings, a wise Italian says that the best is the enemy of the good) Voltaire
We got to a point where everything must look nice to be online the next minute. Fortunately, democratization of digital tools of photo, video and design has broaden the concept of beauty a lot. In any case, durable (or stable if ephemeral), seem like musts for any intervention willing to help. Fast, like in "miracolous" might be less fun as a surprise by now. Small interventions working in other spheres (media if needed, collective imagination, relations, etc.) seems also like a nice way of putting the foundations for bigger impact projects.
SanCris de Colores- A huge graffitti that became the symbol of the project and the neighbourhood May 2013, Madrid
the Permit(s) Is always much easier asking forgiveness than asking for permit. Popular spanish expression
Contemporary Governance has reshaped all terms of local governments: few will not listen to you, fewer will give you a proper permit and a contract, no one will deny the benefits of community development. Many private companies manage basic services such as gardening, lighting, maintenance, roads, public furniture, etc., which makes the access to heavy machinery use and effects even worse. In Madrid, all projects have been done with a "looking the other way" policy from the authorities.
Using "municipal" machinery from the company in charge of gardening September 2013, Madrid
the Material(s) condition(s) In my times, we didn't ask for leftovers, but told the mayor where to put every new bench in town. Old communitiy leader, Madrid.
We like using leftovers as materiales specially because it gives us much freedom for designing, reusing, care, openness, etc. Municipalities around the world face a financial crisis that wouldn't allow them nothing but arranging huge global shows and events like olympic games. Anyhow, all of them have huge storages full of street-proof materials and greenery. And very boring ones. The duty of reconfiguring them to make better public spaces is interesting, but cannot blind the objective of place making.
Materials reused from a HdeM work for autoBarrios SanCris November 2013, Madrid
the (self)-Management and Activation
A strong dichotomy between "everyday activities" and "events" seems to be existing, making both impossible to co-exist. Like in any other urban space, the truth is that both interact, and everyday activities make events possible as much as events make the space "accessible" and "possible".
Open Air Cinema- first and only time that happend in autoBarrioas SanCris. July 2014, Madrid
the Maintenance and Future(s) The reason why the state of the urban environment may affect crime may be described as due to three factors: ● social norms and conformity, ● the presence or lack of routine monitoring, and ● social signaling and signal crime. Broken Window Theory. Wikipedia Article
Although highly obsolete and successfully contested, the theory of the broken window applies in different sense in self- managed, bottom up citizen projects: if public disorder are accepted them (new rules are needed to have a new world, and public spaces became too restrictive in the last decade), still lack of maintenance keeps away a number of neighbours and somehow undermines the authority of the self-management.
Fixing the pedestrian walk at autobarrios Sancris May 2014, Madrid
The bigger Impact(s) Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead
It seems we are very much looking for impacts in a maybe too broad scope: social, economy, urban issues are at stake, indeed, but jobs or the "social knot" may fall out of the possibilities of the space. Identity, self-steem and care for the space, community and yourself, in the other hand are boomed and very much promoted by citizen projects. How can those be useful to overcome the social problems that sometimes this communities have? Can this spaces create new institutions and relations useful to all? In a wider urban sense, how can we propose this way of making city as an effective way of defending "the right to the city"?
TEDx at El Campo de Cebada July 2014, Madrid