Placemaking
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How might we transform a site from brownfield, urban wasteland or unused public space into a place with purpose? How might we guide people to use, cherish and build community within developed spaces?
Placemaking is the design of unique, personal spaces that are meaningfully enjoyed by the people who use them. It takes a people-centered approach to urban design, involving the local community in active collaboration.
Placemaking is used to co-create or regenerate residential precincts, brownfields, main streets, green open spaces, commercial and retail precincts and other community spaces.
Collaboration with communities and stakeholders is a key component of successful placemaking. Designing liveable, resilient places requires considerate engagement with the eventual inhabitants and a careful evaluation of the place’s social, environmental and economic contexts.
Benefits
Social
Placemaking creates social, resilient communities that evolve and last long after the space has been built. A sense of connectedness can lead to increased civic participation and skills building, improved physical activity and mental health, and reduced crime.
Environmental
Integrating nature into the built environment has a wealth of benefits, from mitigating the urban heat island effect and improving air quality to attracting local wildlife.
Economic
Vibrant places encourage people to congregate and use their services. Consulting with the local community on issues like retail, services and employment helps ensure we build places that support and grow the local economy.
Commercial
Placemaking ensures places are targeted to users, which provides improved community support for projects, allows to test assumptions and de-risk key decisions.
Our Placemaking Research
Our Placemaking Services
Local Peoples’ Approach
At the heart of good design is consideration and empathy for the people we design for, which is why we believe in designing with the users of a place. We continuously engage, we prototype solutions, and make sure place innovations are desirable, viable and feasible.
Our Placemaking Experience
Balfe Park Lane
We actively consulted with the community to deliver a human-centered brand experience for this environmentally conscious development.Learn more
