Community Ripple
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Community Ripple aims at the regeneration and creation of meaningful places by the local people of Faro. Can we have an impact on the place where we live? Can you? Can us? Yes, we firmly do believe so, and that right now is the right time to act! We believe in the power of communities and that a drop in the ocean can potentiate a ripple effect. 1st project initiative is Parque Ribeirinho, a place of potential and meaning waiting for a drop to start the community ripple we wish to see in Faro!
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
Community Ripple aims at the regeneration and creation of meaningful places by the local people of Faro. Can we have an impact on the place where we live? Can you? Can us? Yes, we firmly do believe so, and that right now is the right time to act! We believe in the power of communities and that a drop in the ocean can potentiate a ripple effect, promoting further interventions, and new or reinforced senses of belonging, in other places of the community, creating a lasting impact on those locations and empowering communities for future actions.
The place chosen as the pilot intervention space of Community Ripple is Parque Ribeirinho de Faro, especially focused on the Amphitheatre area that exists there. A space between Faro City land and Ria Formosa Natural area, a place of symbolism, facing this natural wetland of recognized international value, an important habitat of flora and fauna, of undeniable environmental value, but also deeply connected to Faro’s identity, its people, culture, and the economy of the Algarve region. With this initiative, we aim to develop the sense of belonging of this space of Parque Ribeirinho/Amphitheatre, through meaningful interventions imagined and made by local people. A place full of potential and meaning waiting for a drop to start the community ripple we wish to see happening in Faro!
Through the Community Ripple approach on this place, we wish to promote:
1) Community and Belonging | We wish more actions of living streets and living spaces to happen as an ongoing initiative of Faro and its people.
2) Arts and Culture | Considering the potential and collective desire of Faro's application to the European City of Culture 2027, we wish to involve local artists and creators.
3) Nature | Both the value and fragility of the natural area where Faro is located, ask for approaches that respect and enhance its singular characteristics.
Key objectives for sustainability
The Amphitheatre, and surrounding areas of Parque Ribeirinho of Faro, are intimately connected with Ria Formosa Natural Protected Area. For this reason, environmental sustainability is inherently deeply rooted in this place.
We envision that Community Ripple interventions (performative and/or physical, up to the imagination and desire of the local artists and general population to be involved in the process) will both respect and enhance the singular natural characteristics of the place.
If physical interventions or other kinds of actions are implemented (e.g., structures construction, planting, sculpture, graffiti, painting, culinary, etc.), resources and materials to be used, should be local, recycled, or reused and present characteristics that respect the environmental sensitivity of the place, when applicable. Also, questions like water natural infiltration and water saving, the use of vegetation adapted to the soil and climate conditions, the use of non-invasive plants, and others, will be considered and monitored with the follow up of the landscape architecture specialty, and other relevant disciplines applicable.
If the intervention envisioned to the place by the local artists and population will be performed and immaterial based (e.g., theatre, dance, music, cinema, debate, video, podcasts, etc.), the processes and different logistics to be implemented for their implementation will take into consideration a Sustainability Plan and Monitoring of these events. The program of the initiative will also include one or more cleaning and environmental awareness activities of the area, considering that, despite the evolution of civic behavior, we still verify some degrading practices, with the presence of garbage of different types.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
In terms of aesthetics and quality of experience Community Ripple means to promote the use and fruition of Parque Ribeirinho/Amphitheatre, valuing its relationship with Ria Formosa natural landscape. We aim to promote physical and/or immaterial approaches that reinforce this connection. We wish also to bring artistic approaches, in terms of physical interventions and/or performance-based ones to this place, merging Arts and Culture with this natural scenario, and allowing the population to participate and be involved in these actions.
With this action we mean to achieve two types of aesthetic and experiencing results: 1) Punctual - promote new aesthetics and quality of experience through the implementation of a specific event(s) promoted by local artists and the community; 2) Regular - to promote the valorization of the aesthetics of the place and the quality of its experience for community use in the long run, through needed/desired interventions of the community.
With Community Ripple's action on this place, we wish, especially, to call attention to the potential of this location, so its use and experiencing can become more regular and meaningful for the people living in Faro.
Key objectives for inclusion
In Community Ripple, we wish to promote inclusion practices, especially related to equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design of spaces, and affordability. Universal design and accessibility should also be respected in all scopes of the project as a basic principle.
- Equal opportunities – we wish to involve people of all ages and backgrounds, and regarding the local artists/creators, we want specifically to involve young artists and creators of Faro, national and foreign to give them a platform to showcase their work.
- Public participation – we wish people to be active agents of change of this place, making sure the interventions imagined and implemented are meaningful to them.
- Citizen engagement – through the involvement of the community in the development/implementation of this initiative, we aim to foster a feeling of caring for this space and promote citizen engagement and active action not only in this place but in future actions that they envision for Faro.
- Co-design – we aim to involve both artists and the local population, and promote multidisciplinary approaches, in imagining and co-designing this space and/or program of activities/performances to happen there that are meaningful to them.
Affordability – the access to the place (public space) and program activities is free.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
Community Ripple contributes to environmental sustainability, inclusion, aesthetics, and quality of experience for people, merging performative and/or physical interventions of the space, imagined/desired by the local artists and general population to be involved in the process, will both respect and enhance the singular natural characteristics of the place; associated with the promotion of equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design of spaces, affordability, universal design, and accessibility; as well promoting the aesthetics and quality of experience of the place, calling the attention to the potential of this location, so its use and experiencing can become more regular and meaningful for the people living in Faro.
Community Ripples also promotes:
- Transdisciplinary approaches – we will reach out to different artists and disciplines of Faro and promote the use of the different skills of local artists and local people involved, as facilitators of the process.
- Participatory processes – a public call will be made to local artists and the local community interested in being involved in the idealization and implementation of this initiative at Parque Ribeirinho/Amphitheatre. We mean the group to be open, so people can join the process at any time of idealization or implementation of the initiative.
