Abstract
Placemaking is the continuous process of shaping, experiencing and contributing to ‘place’. ‘Place’ itself is a multidimensional construct, referring to a locality but also the relationships that occur within the locality, including the socio-economic reality, ecological conditions and political standpoint. Placemaking places people at its core, either by employing a participatory process to public space design, gaining an understanding of residents’ perceptions and aspirations or responding through projects/programmes, which generate positive relationships in/to/with place. Placemaking is a process that creates the capacity for people to invest space with meaning. This chapter introduces the fundamentals of place and placemaking. It begins by exploring the most common definitions of place. It then presents Place Agency’s 5P framework of placemaking, which deliberates a more systematic way of shaping places. By recognising that placemaking is purpose-driven, it engages in a focused discussion on why the shaping of places matters and introduces several placemaking strategies, supported by examples in Australia and internationally. The chapter culminates with the Placemaking Sandbox workshop delivered during the World Urban Forum in 2018, which presented placemaking as a capacity-building strategy to harness the power of community in shaping and transforming places in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
The most memorable cities I have visited are those which allow me to connect to place.
Iderlina Mateo-Babiano
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Notes
- 1.
Place SA’s developed a tool for teachers teaching place and liveability that gets your students involved in a fun and exciting experience while in the classroom. Refer to http://www.placesa.com.au/about/.
- 2.
Robert Hammond and Joshua David led the transformation of the High Line with community members. Read more about this in their book titled The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky.
- 3.
Refer to Play streets Guide. https://www.playstreetsaustralia.com/.
- 4.
Our placemaking partners included: Place Agency, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, Thrive Hub, University of Melbourne, Joyati Das, Sudeshna Chatterjee (Action for Children's Environments), Jinaping Lee (ThinkCity), Joanne Taylor (Place Leaders Asia Pacific) and SDI (Slum/Shack Dwellers International).
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Mateo-Babiano, I., Lee, G. (2020). People in Place: Placemaking Fundamentals. In: Hes, D., Hernandez-Santin, C. (eds) Placemaking Fundamentals for the Built Environment. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9624-4_2
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