Children and young people taking part in planning and developing Kontula Shopping center in Helsinki

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Children and young people taking part in planning
and developing Kontula Shopping center in
Helsinki

Hilkka Kuusinen architect City of
Helsinki Neighbourghoodproject
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Developing Kontula Shopping center
Theme of the year 2004 Children and young people
in turn for participation
Kontula shopping center reviewing the cityplan
lack of competitiveness incomplete area
supplementary building problems with traffic
problems with security
Several projects one of them is Safety in
Kontula shopping center
Creating a modell for young peoples participation
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Young people in turn for participationThe voice
of the youngTargets

• to learn democracy as a member of community
• to be able to carry out work together with others
• to get beneficial experiences in participation

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Reviewing the cityplan of Kontula shopping
centerTargets

• to improve the competi- tiveness
• to find out how to complete the area
• supplementary building
• to increase security in the area
• to create safety in traffic

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Creating a model for young peoples participation

• to find out how children and young people express
  their opinions and how they act
• to find out how to promote their possibilities to
  participate
• to find out how to develop the planning methods
  and the process

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Kontula and surroundings 36000 inhabitants
Shopping center 20500 sqm, 75 shops/firms
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Kontula Center
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Kontula shopping center
Built in two stages in late 1960s and
in late 1980s
The use of built volume business premises
80 restaurants 10 public premises,
institutions 10
incomplete area
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room for supplementary building
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• - informing, open meeting, opinions
• 4 workshops / groups of common interest
• 2 common walk-arounds in Kontula shoppingcenter
  and discussion
• mapworks with stickers in the schools
• visual analyses by young people
• Future Workhops in the schools
• presenting the results in an exhibition
• feed back

PLANNING PROCESS
THINKING UP IDEAS prework for planning
2004

• PLANNING
• Principles for planning the area
• approval by board
• 2005

• visualizing ideas
• investigations needed
• presenting results and principles in an
  exhibition / common meeting in Kontula
• opininons, feed back

- exhibition - opinions about the planning
solution
Planning Sketch for plan 2005
Proposal for plan 2006
- opinions (remarks)
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Planning the neighbourhood center with schoolaged
children

• Mapwork in schools with stick-on labels
• one class of each school
• Analysing environment visually
• Visual arts and drawing-lessons in schools
• Visual arts activity center in Kontula
• Future Workshops
• the student body board of each school

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Mapwork in the schools with stick-on labels
One class of every school took part in evaluating
the area
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legend
BEAUTIFUL PLEASANT FRIGHTENING UGLY DANGEROUS
Mapwork in schools with stick-on labels
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SCHOOLCHILDREN HAVE ALSO WRITTEN AND DRAWN ABOUT
THEIR POINTS OF VIEW ABOUT DEVELOPING THE AREA
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problem PUBS and drunkards
wish safe and cosy place for children
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SUMMARY OF SECURITYMATTERS
chips of glas and litter
swimming-hall is nice, trees along the street too
beautiful areas are outside the map
more bright colours and plants
playground is not kept well

and there
are too many alcoholics around
concrete and gray walls
skeittihalli on magee
skatinghall is fine
business premises are ugly
Metrostation is ugly and dirty, chewing-gum on
the floor
drunken men are frightening
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SYMMARY OF TRAFFIC SAFETY
Big trucs along the street
Lack of zebra crossing
Bicyclists drive too fast on the walkingarea
It is not clear where to walk between cars
dangerous place
if the car does
not brake
Turning point of the busses is scaring. Fear of
coming run over.
Poor view and sand on a curve of the path
Overspeed in th mainstreet and through the zebra
crossing
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Visual arts classes in upper school - Security
dangerous frightening
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dull
ugly
Visual arts activity center in Kontula
scaring
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Animation and multimedia course
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Future Workshopworkshops for programming the
future

• Student boards of every school in the area -
  every class has two representatives
• Phases
• perceiving the task
• thinking up ideas, daydreaming
• developing the ideas
• scheme for improving the situation
• Meeting with the local public servants and the
  voluntary associations (3rd sector)

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(No Transcript)
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• Students tell the problems and the ideas
• to the public servants,
• to the associations of the inhabitants in the
  area and
• to the decision-makers

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Geatest problems

• Insecurity
• too many pubs and restaurants
• too many drunken and obstructive people
• not enough places for young people
• not special shops for young people

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• Dull and dirty shopping center
• - dirty concrete and dull gray
• - wish to get more colours on the walls

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• Need for social manager

social security
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How to continue

• Meeting with the association of the local
  shopkeepers february 2005
• many pubs and restaurants drunkards
• untidy and dirty area
• social manager
• Quick actions for renewing the area
• Renovation of the metrostation - 2006
• Colouful symbol for the youth skatinghall -2005
• Propertyowners project for maintenance
• Better places for young people

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Better places for young people

• Renovation of the Youth House 2005
• new ideas for the activities
• Planning the area around the Youth House 2005
• courtyard, park
• cooperation with the swimminghall nearby
• shopping center
• youth participation in developing and designing
• .... the work continues

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The entrance to the skating hall