Place making
Place making is the creation of safe, vibrant public destinations and neighbourhoods: places where people feel a strong sense of ownership in their communities and a commitment to making things better.
Place management is the ongoing process of sustaining these places.
Place making principles
- A place is a space that has a distinct character, “a spirit of place”. The place can be a park, street, precinct or neighbourhood – anywhere that communities gather in the public domain.
- A successful place reflects community values, needs and aspirations.
- A successful place feels safe, especially for the most vulnerable in the community.
- Place making involves people – those who use the place and those who care for the place.
- Place design is about spaces that work well for people.
Background
Place making and place management are not new ideas. They are a response to worldwide trends that have contributed to degraded and deactivated urban precincts and neighbourhoods especially main streets and town centres.
For Newcastle City Council there have been two factors leading to the adoption at this time of a place making approach to public places:
The Newcastle City Centre Plan 2008 (NCCP)
A priority of the NCCP is the development of a public domain plan. This project commenced in 2008 and is nearing completion. A component of the public domain project has been a series of place making workshops in May 2009 that introduced the concept of place making to Councillors, staff and other city centre stakeholders.
The Sustainability Review
The Sustainability Revew in 2009 that aims to make Newcastle City Council a more outcomes focussed organisation. A recommendation of this Review is the creation of a Liveable City directorate including a Place Management unit.
Council’s role in place making
- In leading the creation of vital public destinations Council has multiple roles:
- Council facilitates community participation in the process of place making.
- Council nurtures positive working relationships with stakeholders in place making – residents, property owners, businesses, council staff and government agencies.
- Council works in partnership with stakeholders in place making.
- Council is a provider of services for place making.
