Intercultural Cities in Placemaking
Intercultural Cities in Placemaking is a pilot capacity-building project designed by Placemaking Europe and implemented in cooperation with the Intercultural Cities programme.
The aim of the pilot project is to build awareness and practical knowledge of placemaking in a way that allows it to foster important long-term change. It is a continuous learning programme designed for municipal public administrations, during which new standards for elevating communities through better public space are set. The final goal is to create a next generation of placemaking experts in governance that can contribute to shaping more human-centered cities for increased well-being and inclusion. The Intercultural Cities members participating in the pilot project are the following:
Bergen (Norway), Bradford (United Kingdom), Reggio Emilia (Italy), Vila Nova de Famalicão (Portugal), Vinnytsia (Ukraine), and Wroclaw (Poland). Other participants include: Helsinki (Finland), Helsingborg (Sweden), The Hague (The Netherlands), Rotterdam(The Netherlands), Trenčín (Slovakia), Cork (Ireland), and Kavala (Greece).
Placemaking
is a hands-on approach for creating healthy, inclusive, and lovable communities in cities across the globe. It inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community, and facilitates creative patterns of use with particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.
A city wide-placemaking approach
ensures that the benefits of placemaking are distributed equitably throughout the city, and that long-lasting impactful change ultimately enhances the quality of life for all residents.
Aims of the pilot project
The pilot projects aims to develop a roadmap to a more holistic and sustainable approach to urban development that harnesses placemaking as a city-wide strategy. The result would be increased capacity for a more human-centered design and management of public space where intercultural interaction can happen organically.
Participants will develop the necessary skills and knowledge to drive systemic change and unleash the full potential of placemaking for the long-term improvement of their cities.
The main objectives are:
- developing a comprehensive and critical understanding of the principles and practices of placemaking, including the key success factors and challenges associated with implementing successful and sustainable placemaking projects;
- evaluating how organisational arrangements and policy influence placemaking process, developing strategies to overcome common obstacles to foster effective cross-departmental and interagency collaboration, and creating innovative approaches to navigating bureaucratic frameworks;
- developing the skills necessary to transition from a short-term project-based approach into a long-lasting systemic strategy, integrating it into broader governance and policy frameworks, and driving change by engaging diverse stakeholders to achieve a shared vision for the city;
- creating a network of leaders who can implement long-term, comprehensive placemaking strategies to create vibrant and inclusive cities, equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to integrate placemaking into the larger framework of city governance and policies.
The programme consists of 8 capacity-building sessions held in a combination of in-person and remote formats, led by Placemaking Europe and knowledge partner experts (Creative Bureaucracy Festival and International Society for Urban Health) with specialised expertise in each of the project’s topics, utilising a collaborative approach to offer a diverse range of perspectives.
Meet the participating cities >>
Events
2nd Training session
Date: 26-28 June 2023
Location: Bergen, Norway
1st Training session
Date: 20-22 March 2023
Location: Overhoeksplein 2, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Title: Essentials of placemaking
The meeting consisted of 2.5-day workshops on placemaking, as well as setting common goals and outlining the programme for the next 2 years. The aim was to provide a comprehensive introduction to placemaking, its application in the context of urban governance, and its implications for long-term systemic change.
Placemaking Europe is a non-profit foundation. It is a European network that connects practitioners, academics, community leaders, market players and policy makers across the field of placemaking. Placemaking Europe develops and shares knowledge; contributes to designing and testing tools; creates the ground to exchanging ideas; and actively advocates for better public space policies. Their mission is to together accelerate placemaking as a way to create healthy, inclusive, and beloved communities - to make the spaces we live into places we love and create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable world by joining values, passion, and action around our public spaces.
