The Role of People in Places
This event, hosted by Places Plus, discussed the role of people in place-making and public space. Place marketing strategist Cara Reilly introduced the topic, starting the session with the question: what makes places great? Cara has worked for over 15 years in place-making, ultimately trying to answer this question. Cara noted that although analytics and measurements are important in measuring how ‘great’ a place is, these models are often lacking an emphasis on the user - the people who use the space.
David van Niekerk - the CEO of the Johannesburg Inner-City Partnership - spoke next. David shared some of the JICP’s work with us - the ‘Walkable Network’. The Walkable Network is a package of interventions in targeted streets and public spaces in Johannesburg, aimed at a clean, safe and welcoming experience. Interventions include pedestrianisation and street furniture. David gave us an overview of the process of creating this Walkable Network, letting us know which stakeholders were involved, how various streets were selected, and how the process was implemented. David noted the importance of working with other ongoing projects, such as Main Street Pedestrianisation, and of including different sectors of the community, such as faith-based groups.
Alan Cameron’s presentation focused on public space. Alan spoke about the benefits of public space - which includes health benefits and economic benefits. Alan discussed the context of South African cities, and particularly Cape Town, where people are often forced to enjoy ‘public’ space in a privatised setting. Alan gave the case study of a hotel car park, and various difficulties that surrounded it as a space. This case study highlighted the conflicting interests that can occur in public space, and the necessity for innovation and creativity when thinking about public space.
Cara Reilly shared a summary of an ongoing project in Durban, as part of the Go Durban project. The project is a neighbourhood mapping exercise working towards living a safer and more liveable city. Cara noted that even though it’s primarily a transport project, the landscape is so important, and communities must be engaged. People’s involvement is key to ensure that what’s provided in public space is what people actually need. Communities must be both active and empowered, with enabling structures that allow projects to be realised. Cara’s case study highlighted crucial points such as social gender inclusion, ablution facilities, pedestrianisation safety, universal accessibility that must be considered when designing public spaces.
One question posed concerned a lack of trust between the public and municipalities, planners and developers, and how to overcome this. David van Niekerk suggested three key steps to overcoming this issue: establish a common objective, ensure there are benefits to all stakeholders, and build relationships. Cara Reilly spoke about demonstrating to people a direct link between their own input and the final product, and how this can establish trust with communities. Another question highlighted the issue with ‘sanitising’ city spaces when planning new initiatives and developments, and that the reality of these spaces needs to be incorporated into plans. This provoked an interesting discussion, with questions of whose worldview is being incorporated into new plans and initiatives.
