The city for kids
Basic information
Project Title
The city for kids
Full project title
The city for kids. Participatory planning in the neighbourhood of Encagnane, Aix en Provence, France
Category
Regaining a sense of belonging
Project Description
“The city for kids” is an ambitious program to enable a pilot project of co-design with children at the neighbourhood level. The project's goal : enable the children to actively participate in their environment and improve their neighbourhood, through a project that incorporates their own voices and needs. From 2020 until 2023, a total of 60 workshops with children between 6 and 11 years old have allowed to develop a participatory process that change two places which are now used by people.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Aix en Provence, France
Urban or rural issues
Mainly urban
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
For 3 years and throughout sixty workshops we have facilitated children of Encagnane neighbourhood to express themselves on the matter of their living environment and empowered them to become agents of change. The workshops are led by a multidisciplinary team formed by an architect, an urban planner, an anthropologist, a graphic designer and an herbalist. The work with the children unfolds through different stages: participatory cartography and elaboration of the project’s graphic chart , children’s urban and landscape chart, diagnosis of the neighbourhood environment and choice of the site to renovate, evaluation of this place and field survey, project design, exchanges with the technical committee (representatives of social landlord, associations, technical services of the town-hall) work on the site and inauguration.
The children were at the origin of each and every proposal, which was then discussed by the neighbourhood's stakeholder committee. During the project two sites were chosen and renovated: the first one is the forecourt of the primary school Giono, a place in need for renovation to be used as public space; the second one is the Jardisquare, a shared, inter-generational square where activities open to all are proposed by residents and associations working in the neighbourhood, with the support from Famille & Provence - public landlord.
The project's objectives were :
To accompany children in questioning their urban environment in order to:
Allow them to look at the neighbourhood differently
Organize a consultation on an outdoor space to be redeveloped
Analyze and design improvements to living spaces used by children
Promote greater consideration of children in the life of the city:
Get adults to consider children as a capable of proposals
Restore an inter-generational vocation to public or common spaces
Encourage public actors to take children into account in the urban renewal of the district
Develop a synergy of local actors
The children were at the origin of each and every proposal, which was then discussed by the neighbourhood's stakeholder committee. During the project two sites were chosen and renovated: the first one is the forecourt of the primary school Giono, a place in need for renovation to be used as public space; the second one is the Jardisquare, a shared, inter-generational square where activities open to all are proposed by residents and associations working in the neighbourhood, with the support from Famille & Provence - public landlord.
The project's objectives were :
To accompany children in questioning their urban environment in order to:
Allow them to look at the neighbourhood differently
Organize a consultation on an outdoor space to be redeveloped
Analyze and design improvements to living spaces used by children
Promote greater consideration of children in the life of the city:
Get adults to consider children as a capable of proposals
Restore an inter-generational vocation to public or common spaces
Encourage public actors to take children into account in the urban renewal of the district
Develop a synergy of local actors
Key objectives for sustainability
In order to design and imagine the project for the forecourt, children thought about how to reduce mineral soils and introduce nature in this space. The vegetalisation of the regenerated spaces is really important also because it provides shade and freshness especially in summer. Children went to the municipality's greenhouses to choose the plants following certain criteria: have the highest chances to grow better in this space, less water needs, and provide nice fragrances and colours. Young people were involved in the work of the plantation with the town service of green spaces. Children also imagined, wrote and built panels with messages to other citizens to respect the site and the vegetation. Beyond the sustainability dimension of the green solution, the process of involving the children and the neighbourhood in general ensures the duration of the intervention thanks to the development of an effectively shared space for which everyone feels they need to take care of.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Children involved in the project for the forecourt had to think about colours, forms, materials, associating each of those elements in order to have a colourful, scented, clean, multi-use and multi-generational space. The question of aesthetics was explored collectively and through practical exercises like drawing and models. Children highlighted that after the renovation they were happier going to school and also they have better grades because beauty gives them happiness and more motivation to learn.
Key objectives for inclusion
Children are generally never taken into account by urban planning and public policies. Our cities are less and less suitable and secure for children, who are not only losing spaces to play, to exchange and to live their adventures, but also being deprived of spaces of autonomy. Our project wanted to include children's voices in urban development and show that the voice of children is relevant and can improve spaces and ways of renovating them. The inclusion of children in the process of co-design ensures inclusion because when they imagine spaces, children imagine them for everybody: they always include people with disabilities, small kids, old people, mothers with babies. In their discussion we observe that children are the grantors of inclusion and not leaving anyone behind.
Results in relation to category
The process was able to lead to a concrete achievement (the forecourt project). We can consider this project as a success because children were very happy and proud to see the realisation of their ideas and their work.
Nowadays, parents can wait in the forecourt for their children in a more pleasant setting, and children can play and use this court as a living space.
In the collective memory this place will be one arranged by the children and it will serve to inspire other similar experiences, as proof of the possibilities of real participatory and citizen-led processes.
By seeing the experience via the web (site, film etc.) other social landlords, real estate developers, politicians and cities are already contacting us to adapt the experience to their contexts.
Nowadays, parents can wait in the forecourt for their children in a more pleasant setting, and children can play and use this court as a living space.
In the collective memory this place will be one arranged by the children and it will serve to inspire other similar experiences, as proof of the possibilities of real participatory and citizen-led processes.
By seeing the experience via the web (site, film etc.) other social landlords, real estate developers, politicians and cities are already contacting us to adapt the experience to their contexts.
How Citizens benefit
Many associations, schools, and social centres of the neighbourhood were involved in the process in different ways. During the project, 150 children participated in the workshops. Children carried out the surveys of two sites to renovate: 180 people answered to the survey on the school forecourt, 47 answered the one on the Jardisquare. Children interviewed people from the association of visually impaired, people with reduced mobility, firefighters, municipality workers, inhabitants of the neighbourhood, parents, students etc.. Two or three public restitutions by year were organised to share the results of the project and to inform and consult the inhabitants about the renovation project.
Posters and postcards summarising each stage present the children's work were distributed in the neighbourhood and stuck on a Totem built and installed in a neighbourhood square in order to inform as widely as possible about the process and the project underway.
The school court project involved the coordination of the interventions of the Green Spaces services and the Municipal Buildings Service, a participatory construction worksite with young people and one with the inhabitants of the district, and many associations based in Encagnane.
TheJardisquare project involved the technical services of the public landlord, the young people of the social centres and one association of inhabitants.
Posters and postcards summarising each stage present the children's work were distributed in the neighbourhood and stuck on a Totem built and installed in a neighbourhood square in order to inform as widely as possible about the process and the project underway.
The school court project involved the coordination of the interventions of the Green Spaces services and the Municipal Buildings Service, a participatory construction worksite with young people and one with the inhabitants of the district, and many associations based in Encagnane.
TheJardisquare project involved the technical services of the public landlord, the young people of the social centres and one association of inhabitants.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
It was a bottom-up process involving children and able to change the way of doing things by politicians, technicians, decision-makers and even the often silo-working of certain associations. The integration of children in the design and renovation of public spaces was taken seriously: they were considered as stakeholders with the capacity to propose solutions that were then studied and found as suitable.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
Imagining the forecourt project was a great exercise and cross-curricular learning for the children. A lot of academic knowledge was involved: history, geography, mathematics, geometry, writing, drawing. Teachers could use the content of the workshops to develop different subjects.
Children also learned to listen to each other, to work and discuss together, to make their voice heard to adults and decision-makers.
The children were also exposed to other practices such as cartography, public policy, decision-making processes, public surveys, architecture and urban planning.
Children also learned to listen to each other, to work and discuss together, to make their voice heard to adults and decision-makers.
The children were also exposed to other practices such as cartography, public policy, decision-making processes, public surveys, architecture and urban planning.
Methodology used
It is a methodology for citizen participation applied especially to children. Learn by doing, questioning, experiencing and playing.
Throughout sixty workshops we have facilitated children of Encagnane neighbourhood to express themselves on the matter of their living environment and empowered them to become agents of change. The workshops are led by a multidisciplinary team formed by an architect, an urban planner, an anthropologist, a graphic designer and an herbalist. The work with the children unfolds through different stages: participatory cartography and elaboration of the project’s graphic chart , children’s urban and landscape chart, diagnosis of the neighbourhood environment and choice of the site to renovate, evaluation of this place and field survey, project design, exchanges with the technical committee (representatives of social landlord, associations, technical services of the town-hall) work on the site and inauguration.
The children were at the origin of each and every proposal, which was then discussed by the neighbourhood's stakeholder committee. During the project two sites were chosen and renovated: the first one is the forecourt of the primary school Giono, a place in need for renovation to be used as public space; the second one is the Jardisquare, a shared, inter-generational square where activities open to all are proposed by residents and associations working in the neighbourhood, with the support from Famille & Provence - public landlord.
Throughout sixty workshops we have facilitated children of Encagnane neighbourhood to express themselves on the matter of their living environment and empowered them to become agents of change. The workshops are led by a multidisciplinary team formed by an architect, an urban planner, an anthropologist, a graphic designer and an herbalist. The work with the children unfolds through different stages: participatory cartography and elaboration of the project’s graphic chart , children’s urban and landscape chart, diagnosis of the neighbourhood environment and choice of the site to renovate, evaluation of this place and field survey, project design, exchanges with the technical committee (representatives of social landlord, associations, technical services of the town-hall) work on the site and inauguration.
The children were at the origin of each and every proposal, which was then discussed by the neighbourhood's stakeholder committee. During the project two sites were chosen and renovated: the first one is the forecourt of the primary school Giono, a place in need for renovation to be used as public space; the second one is the Jardisquare, a shared, inter-generational square where activities open to all are proposed by residents and associations working in the neighbourhood, with the support from Famille & Provence - public landlord.
How stakeholders are engaged
Many associations, schools, social centres of the neighbourhood were involved in the process in different ways (information, consultation, public inquiry, participatory worksite... ).
Hors Gabarit received financial support from public donors to develop the project and organise the cooperation among all the different stakeholders. Representatives of the social landlord, school teachers, associations, technical services of the municipality were all convened to the technical committee to discuss the children's proposals and find solutions to respect at the same time the standards and the technical requirements and the will and the needs of the children. The technical committee was set up from the beginning with the role of a monitoring committee, where the institutional stakeholders gathered to follow up on the project and also facilitate the access to the wider networks of associations and other stakeholders with an important action in the neighbourhood.
Different associations were engaged in the process and shared their resources (e.g.: use of materials in their workshops, allowing their staff to join the project events).
Hors Gabarit received financial support from public donors to develop the project and organise the cooperation among all the different stakeholders. Representatives of the social landlord, school teachers, associations, technical services of the municipality were all convened to the technical committee to discuss the children's proposals and find solutions to respect at the same time the standards and the technical requirements and the will and the needs of the children. The technical committee was set up from the beginning with the role of a monitoring committee, where the institutional stakeholders gathered to follow up on the project and also facilitate the access to the wider networks of associations and other stakeholders with an important action in the neighbourhood.
Different associations were engaged in the process and shared their resources (e.g.: use of materials in their workshops, allowing their staff to join the project events).
Global challenges
As the Italian pedagogue Francesco Tonucci says, cities are better for everyone if they are designed by and for children. A city with children in its streets and squares will be safer and more inclusive for all. Learning to plan cities with children is giving everyone a chance to live better in our territories, regardless of the geographical scale, for it requires an ever-stronger sense of citizenship.
Learning transferred to other parties
The process and methodology can be replicated and transferred to other places and contexts. We have a lot of documentation on each one of the projects : each workshop has its "roadmaps" and its balance sheet. The posters serve as documentary material and explain each stage of the project to the public . The urban and landscape charts can be used by planners and politicians to take into account the needs of children in urban planning.
Keywords
urban and architectural education
participatory planning and design
learn in action
inclusive city
citizen kids
