SOCIAL PLANNING

Or were you filled with “if only…” thoughts: if only there were a shady spot to sit; a place for the smaller children to play; a toilet nearby….

Every year in Australia, billions of private and taxpayer dollars are spent on creating and renovating public spaces. But how far do these dollars go and how long will the projects last?
If spaces don’t make sense and don’t match the needs of the people they are deigned for, people, especially children, vote with their feet.

Why is it that so often we seem to miss the right “fit” between the potential users and the spaces designed for them?
Did the designers have up-to-date information about user needs? Was the project brief precise enough about people’s requirements. Were local adults, young people and children consulted?

For example, what use is there in creating a park with a large BBQ area if there are no public toilets nearby?
What about expensive new landscaping in a high-crime neighbourhood that creates instant entrapment or concealment spaces?

What about the brand new “ethnic” park with no challenging or even conventional play equipment and only static “cultural” sculptures and decorations?The jury has been back for a long time. There is lots of valuable information around to guide us: either relevant research or local people can provide specific advice via consultation. The trick is getting clear about generic user needs at the very start and consulting local people about their specific needs. When we do this – and even involve local people in building places, the community will help to protect and take care of them because they reflect their values and were designed specifically for them. ...trolling through reams of research studies.

This is where experienced social planners come in: making sense of a myriad of information and providing clear advice about exactly what need to be done. If we take a closer look at our public spaces – through the critical eyes of the social planner – we can see how people use and modify places. “Seeing with new eyes” offers clues to what people really need and how future urban spaces should be designed.