| 39642 |
abstract |
Urban theory has undergone a veritable normative turn, registered in debates - and
in prescriptive practices in architectural planning, collectively known as community-led,
co- or participatory design. Such debates, and practices, are centred on issues around
democratisation and the right of citizens to participate in, and collaborate over,
the design of their built or physical environment and public services and to creatively
contribute to social capital, economic sustainability and cultural well-being of neighbourhoods
and local businesses. Such debates are also recently enriched by the ‘architecture
of participation’ (Harrison and Barthel, 2009,, 155) enabled by novel web tools and
social media which, it has been argued, may have significant implications for citizens’
opportunities to involve themselves in media, and through media, and to shape new
connections with communities and their environment. Responding to such turns, the
centrality of media, and social media tools, is evident in localism policies across
Europe, with the case of New Localism Bill in the UK proposing a new planning policy
framework, promising to bring about reforms that will decentralise local governance,
put forward grass-roots participation. The question then is, what is the definition
and value of participatory design (in public, local services, and in place-making)
as this is understood and represented by different communities through the use of
media and via mediated creativity and civic engagement. A new category of ‘neighbourhood
media’, using a variety of platforms within what is broadly defined as hyperlocal
media (Ofcom, 2010; Radcliffle, 2012) to describe online news and content services,
pertaining to small and mostly geographically defined communities. Drawing on focus
groups with a variety of participants from London-based community projects, interviews
with architecture and local government professionals,and community leaders as well
as genre analysis of selected public media outputs, this paper firstly offers empirical
insights that broaden the definition of neighbourhood media, with a particular focus
on placemaking, that support and extend Dahlgren’s (2005) notion of ‘net of public
spheres’. In addition,, a) Social media and the internet present new tendencies towards
way-finding, information sharing, as well as communication, visibility and communal
story-telling and self-representation. Likewise, face-to-face interaction, private
communication and 'small- media' (see Sreberny and Mohammadi, 1994; e.g. posters,
leaflets, pamphlets, etc) are vital for raising awareness or advocacy, and, for mobilising
volunteer support and further engagement, promoting thus the need for an analogue
and digital mix in community media; b) Participatory or community-led design projects
surface a renewed impulse for the ‘articulation’ and mediation of issues, values and
tensions that may represent the make-up of local communities in cities. Participatory
design may indeed present some coherent narrative to fuel activism, to facilitate
creativity and peer support among locally based communities of interest, to enhance
cultural value and shared memory, but also to bring people together with a shared
sense of purpose and mutual benefit surrounding public spaces and services. Nonetheless,
numerous tensions prevail, pertaining the development, governance and sustainability
of communities and projects, civic engagement and effective social action, as well
as media and participatory literacies. |
| 39642 |
label |
Alevizou, Panagiota ; Alexiou, Katerini and Ramster, Gail (2013). Communications
by design? Community spaces, neighbourhood media & creative citizens. In: IAMCR
2013 Conference: Crises, 'Creative Destruction' and the Global Power and Communication
Orders, 25-29 Jun 2013, Dublin, Ireland. |
| 39642 |
label |
Alevizou, Panagiota ; Alexiou, Katerini and Ramster, Gail (2013). Communications
by design? Community spaces, neighbourhood media & creative citizens. In: IAMCR
2013 Conference: Crises, 'Creative Destruction' and the Global Power and Communication
Orders, 25-29 Jun 2013, Dublin, Ireland. |