Participatory City Making: Prototypes
The Participatory City Making project (2016-2019) created frameworks, directions, prototypes and tools for stakeholders to actively engage in exploring collaborative potentials, defining their roles in city making processes. This article shares three prototypes.
Stadsmakerskist: the prototype as a scale model of a possible future
Stadsmakerskist is a set of physical modular blocks to make things in the public space. Delivered to you by the municipality on request, sponsored by rest material of businesses.
The prototype of the Stadsmakerskist (city makers’ kit) is comparable to a scale model of the tool itself and its context.
The slogans of this tool/prototype are (in dutch): “Maak er wat van!“ or “Wat maak je me nou?“ (“Just do it“, “Make good on your neighbourhood“)
The prototype is a scale model of a “city making box/kit“. This is a box containing a selection of physical objects made available in public spaces by the municipality. The objects are used by citizens in order to realise 1:1 prototypes of co-created futures in public space itself. The material is modular and preferably donated by local businesses.
The Webber: the prototype as a mental map and discussion aid
The Webber displays a projects integrality and impact on different aspects on each beam.
For the designers of the prototype “The Webber“, prototyping proved valuable for discussions on a strategic level. The complexity of the subject matter was being unraveled by making some of the topics explicit and tangible.
The slogan of this tool/prototype is: “web your impact and impact your web“.
The prototype showed a three-dimensional web consisting of multiple, radial axes made by different, coloured straws represent the various dimensions and topics of a certain project. On these axes, moveable boxes/packages are placed, by their size representing the amount of users and participants involved in the particular project or initiative. The action radius of impact is referred to as the distance from centre of the axes.
Mayor if you Dare, The Freedom Box: the prototype as a first draft (of an activity kit or game)
“Mayor if you Dare” to unbox and identify freedom of action for city makers. For better guided participation between civil servants (the municipality) and citizens’ initiatives.
The slogans of this tool/prototype are: “Unbox the freedom“, “Take the freedom if you dare“.
This prototype is the first sketch of a city makers activity kit and consists of a (scale model) box with various content, such as for example vouchers, activity cards and money. Below the content of this first sketch is listed. The “rules“ of this box are helping the initiatives and municipality in taking their responsibilities and working on the initiatives’ goals together. This is part of the box and exemplified by following rules:
- “You have freedom, but also responsibilities.
- You get a dedicated civil servant from the municipality connected to your initiative.
- The elected citizens are sponsors.
- The objective of the „game“ is to get rid of all cards.“
The activity kit is adjusting while learning. This feedback function is to be further explored.
