Ideas – Get Creative Christchurch

– “You Are Here”
– Our People
– Community Mapping
– Our Places
– Creative Placemaking
– Ideas Links

Our Places | Shirley Community Centre
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/
Creative Books | Learning Spaces

Yes, we need Arts in Christchurch, but more than that we need to “Get Creative Christchurch”!

“You Are Here”
On a map “You Are Here” is a locator if you are lost in an area & reminds you where you are in this place, this world.
“You Are Here” locators are usually for tourists or those new to this area. As the locals, those that were born here, already know where they are, part of their identity is already wrapped up in this place in our world.

Q. Who are ‘You’? Why are ‘You’ here?
A. ‘You’ are the sum of all that has brought ‘You’ here right now.

Q. What can ‘You’ do here? What do ‘You’ need here? What can ‘You’ learn here?
A. ‘You’ get to choose what happens next.

Not just in our own individual lives, but in our businesses, communities and our suburbs.
We need to “Get Creative” for our people in Christchurch:
– personal identity, mental health & wellbeing
– businesses, innovation hubs & economy

We need to “Get Creative” in the ways we include these groups of people in our community:
WINZ, Housing NZ, Probation Services, Immigration, Disabilities, Mental Health & Addictions

We are constantly told to take care of our physical health, but what about our mental health?

We know what is needed for a healthy street, but what do we need to create a healthy community?

It’s easy to identify ‘anti-social’ behavior in our communities, but how do we promote ‘social’ behavior?
Where are the ‘social’ opportunities in our communities?

We create Art in isolation in studios. We view Art in isolation on a wall.
But we can take creativity into all aspects of our lives and communities.

We need to “Get Creative” and build environments, spaces and places for creativity to be enjoyed by all.

Research has shown the impact creativity has on a individual and their well-being, it is a ripple effect.

We need to “Get Creative” in our placemaking and storytelling of our unique Māori heritage and the Christchurch earthquakes, as we invite people from throughout NZ and all the world to come and see Creative Christchurch.

Imagine the difference we could make in Christchurch if we started to value creativity for everyone?

Q. Why is identity, well-being and learning important for our people?
A. When we know who we are (identity), what we need to be healthy (well-being), and the importance of a growth mindset (learning), this causes a positive ripple effect in our businesses, community and economy.

Community Mapping
“Community Mapping Objectives:
1. To define what community means
2. To understand the interdependency of the people and places within a community
3. To begin to map the resources and needs in the community
4. To identify the diverse perspectives that group members bring to the community”
– http://yparhub.berkeley.edu/investigate/community-mapping/

“Community Mapping:
There are several principles that are unique to mapping efforts. First, mapping strategies focus on what is already present in the community. The idea is to build on the strengths within a community. Second, mapping is relationship-driven. Key to mapping efforts is the development of partnerships–a group of equals with a common interest working together over a sustained period of time to accomplish common goals. Third, mapping embraces the notion that to realize vision and meet goals, a community may have to work across programmatic and geographic boundaries. These principles provide the foundation for the mapping process.”
– http://projectmanagement.p21.org/toolkit-mapping/

Q. Why are creative books and learning spaces important?
A. To inspire, educate and connect people in our community, for their identity, well-being and learning.
I see the rebuild of the Shirley Community Centre (https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/) as a resource/facility that is desperately needed in our community, to provide the above opportunities for everyone.

Q. Why Street Art, Sutton’s Place, Māori Heritage Park and the River Bank Centre?
A. The rebuild of the Shirley Community Centre was my starting point, but through my research/community mapping, I realised that there was a need for more in our communities, more opportunities for everyone to find their space/place, and to create a new identity (after the earthquakes) for our communities through creative placemaking (https://www.riseuprichmond.nz/).

Creative Placemaking
“Approaches to Creative Placemaking
Creative Placemaking is an evolving field of practice that intentionally leverages the power of the arts, culture and creativity to serve a community’s interest while driving a broader agenda for change, growth and transformation in a way that also builds character and quality of place.
Creative Placemaking can be used by communities to engage residents locally, enhance public space and contribute to healthy sustainable communities. It is a strategy to improve community well-being and prosperity while also fostering conditions for cities to define, draw attention to and distinguish themselves on a global scale.
The success of creative placemaking is dependent upon collaborations between various civic stakeholders such as governments, private investment, not-for-profit organizations, artists and citizen groups.”
– http://www.artscapediy.org/Creative-Placemaking/Approaches-to-Creative-Placemaking.aspx

“Making Places That Put A Smile On People’s Faces:
The most valuable tools in our shed to create successful spaces are open minds, creative thinking and good sets of eyes and ears.
Realising the importance of creating good and healthy public spaces, Panuku adopted placemaking as a key tool within its urban development work. Placemaking is globally recognised as a ‘multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces’. A place needs to be able to speak for itself while also identifying with the people who use it. Placemaking is a mechanism that is crafted around the art of collaboration, and needs to reflect and respond to communities and where connections to place should lie. Human experiences are what give any place or space a heart and soul. It is in the best interests of placemaking and city buildings to create a platform that will allow for these experiences to flourish.
We know the people, places and spaces are ever changing due to population growth, climate change and socio-economic factors. It is essential in the development of spaces to never end a plan with a full stop but rather to always plan for constant change.”
– https://www.panuku.co.nz/making-places-that-put-a-smile-on-peoples-faces

“8 Placemaking Principles for Innovation Districts:
Increasingly, startups, incubators and accelerators around the world are clustering around leading-edge companies and institutions in dense urban settings called ‘innovation districts.’ By creating shared value, placemaking has much to offer this emerging geography of innovation in cities. It can play an important role in an integrated strategy designed to attract, retain and cultivate talent; to improve networking and communication flows between innovators; and to make the district a distinct, memorable destination.
1. Identity: Make innovation visible and public
2. Diversity: Mix innovation with a range of other uses
3. Continuity: Start with existing people and places
4. Sociability: Bring people together through places and programming
5. Proximity: Build things close together on the ground—not just on the map
6. Mobility: Connect to the broader city and region through multiple transportation modes
7. Flexibility: Experiment, Observe, Repeat
8. Unity: Govern with vision and holistic, inclusive strategies”
– https://www.pps.org/article/eight-placemaking-principles-for-innovation-districts

Ideas Links
– https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/placemaking-person-place-or-thing
– Eleven Principles for Creating Great Community Places
– http://www.placemakingchicago.com/about/
– http://placemakingchicago.com/about/principles.asp
– https://segd.org/what-placemaking-and-identity
– https://creativecommunitybuilders.com/wp-content/uploads/Borrup-Creative-Placemaking-2016-UMASS.pdf