Aberdeen reclaims its public spaces

By Béatrice Alcaraz on 5 juillet 2012

Reclaim public space in cities , this is the aim of Lively Cities, in which two members of Energy Cities : Aberdeen (UK) and Lille (FR) take part.

By using new concepts in Europe : the placemaking and the placemanagement, the project chooses an approach where communities are questioned about their expectations and requests on defined spaces in order to propose solutions to decisions makers.
Lively Cities is a European project co-funded by the INTERREG IVB programme and the Walloon Region. The project gathers 8 partners from 4 countries in North West Europe : Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Each partner has identified in their own city one or more underused or non-used public spaces.

The Green Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s historic Green and surroundings are amongst the oldest known parts of the city. Recently the site has had a major conservation work programme conducted through "The Green Townscape Heritage Initiative".
Despite many strenghts : located in the heart of the city centre, alternative and perspective from the other areas, commercial sector and pedestrian zone, the space also has weaknesses : several areas are poorly lit and are not encouraging for public use and access points to the Green are not clearly marked.

Lively Cities has engaged a work with stakeholders : the Local business Co-operative ‘Merchant Quarters’, The Green Townscape Heritage Initiative and the Arts Education Teams "Leafing the Green" project.
A survey, information leaflet, an online questionnaire and social media network for residents, the wider community and visitors have been conducted to create a picture of the general perceptions of the site.

More information on Lively Cities project and Aberdeen.

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