PPS Workshop - Placemaking and the Power of 10

I.  PLACEMAKING WORKSHOP

 

Process and Public Outreach

Project for Public Spaces engages the community and other stakeholders in the planning process through focus groups, interviews, pop-up activities, and Placemaking workshops.  The Placemaking approach is a way to ensure that public spaces achieve the goals that matter the most to the community in the long term, namely: broad approval and support; the creation of a dynamic social gathering place; direct engagement and participation by community members and volunteers; a thoughtful plan for programming and management; and a feasible project that works on any scale.  This process breaks down barriers among interest groups and can forge a shared understanding that respects the interests of all parties.

 

PPS conducts public community workshops and Placemaking evaluations to obtain the input of a broad representation of community members and stakeholders.  Anyone in the community who may be involved in the future of a place is welcome to attend, including local residents, city officials and planners, business owners and employees, etc.  Attendees typically represent both the public and private sectors.  Leaders from nearby neighborhoods are also be invited to witness the process.  

 

I.  POWER OF TEN - OVERVIEW

 

A great destination has at least 10 places within it, each with 10 things to do.

The Power of 10 is a concept that illuminates the importance of having a high volume of interrelated uses and spaces across a number of important scales. PPS believes that it is not enough to have just one great destination in an urban park — a number of them are needed to create a truly lively place. It is also not enough to have only one top-notch park in a neighborhood or city district – a series of destinations, a network of great places, big and small are needed where residents and tourists alike would become immersed in the life of the city for days at a time.  It is not enough to have one great district or neighborhood in a city, or even a few —people all over town should have close-to-home opportunities to take pleasure in public life. At yet another scale, it is not enough to have a single vibrant city in a region—a collection of interesting cities and towns have to offer a high quality of life in a metropolitan area. That’s the sort of goal that needs to be set for all cities if we are serious about enhancing and revitalizing urban life.

Any great place itself needs to offer at least 10 things to do or 10 reasons to be there. These could include a place to sit, a playground to play in, a garden to enjoy, art to touch, music to hear, food to eat, history to experience, and people to meet. Ideally, some of these activities are unique to that particular location and are interesting enough to keep people coming back.  The local people who use the space most regularly are the best source of ideas for what uses will work best.

 

The three day intensive workshop led by Elena Madison PPS deputy director is open to representatives of Planning Departments in the Prishtina, Fushe Kosova, Ferizaj, Gjakova and Gjilan Municipalities, as well as to volunteers of the Office for Urban Regeneration and ProActive groups and Coordinators of the Housing and Space project. All interested should send their short cv to by 2nd of July, mentioning PPS workshop in the email subject. The workshop will be held from the 4th till the 6th of July at Innovation Center Kosovo. 

 

This workshop is conducted by the "right to social housing and public space" project implemented by the Kosovo Architecture Foundation and supported by the Swiss Cooperation office in Kosovo project DSC managed by the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation.