Pocket Park - Agapinou 3

Λατρεύω τέτοιου είδους πρωτοβουλίες άμα δεν υπήρχαν και οι καραγκιόζηδες οι γκραφιταδες θα ήμασταν τέλεια

Φανταστική εμφάνιση και Καλή τακτική πως το δημιούργησαν. Θα μπορούσε να το κάνουμε ολο και Περισσότερο διασκεδαστικό για όλες τις Ηλικίες.

Θέλει πολλά περισσότερα για να ονομασθεί πάρκο.

Θα μπορούσε να έχει γίνει πολύ καλύτερη δουλειά και να γινόταν συντήρηση πιο συχνά... Φαίνεται πολύ παραμελημένο.

Πολύ έξυπνη ιδέα από κατοίκους της γειτονιάς

amazing place with amazing people

Really nice environment, cool people, cheap beer, great actions and screenings.

Alexandrou Svolou Neighbourhood Initiative decided to engage with students groups in 2017 (see: Iliopoulos & Kaligas, 2017) by focusing on and appropriating an urban ‘void’ located in the neighbourhood of Alexandrou Svolou. What is particularly significant about this urban ‘void’ (431,65 m2) is its ownership regime. It consisted of a vacant piece of public land that had been left to become derelict . 70% (337,05 m2) of its total area belongs to the School Buildings Organisation SA, a state-owned public limited company based in Athens, with the other 30% (94,60 m2) belonging to the Municipality of Thessaloniki. A reasonable question that arises from this situation is why an urban ‘void’ should belong to two public institutions? Why would the Municipality of Thessaloniki purchase a piece of wasteland from another public institution, especially when this space does not have any other apparent use other than landfill? Comparative research on other cities revealed the remarkable fact that, for example, in Helsinki (Finland) all the public land belongs to the city itself, whilst the revenue from public services (see: Helen Electricity Network Ltd) is mostly reinvested back into the urban fabric. In comparison, Greek cities seem to be unwilling or incapable of managing their urban fabric. Therefore, the creation of this space is highly relevant in relation to urban planning and the production of alternative spaces, while also holding the potential to encourage more inclusive and democratic forms of planning. Essentially, this experiment consists of a collective effort to convert an urban ‘void’ into a pocket-sized neighbourhood park through a social process of commoning. In order to kick-start this activity, the Initiative organised a participatory planning workshop in its premises in the 1st Municipal District of Thessaloniki. This workshop offered ‘average citizens’ an effective outlet for collective and creative expression. Subsequently, in order to engage with the broader neighbourhood, the Initiative organised a number of campaigns, placing information points in various spots in the locality and collaborating with the local primary school. Passing from participatory planning to participatory action, the Initiative has so far organised 8 consecutive ‘construction acts’ (cleaning, embankment fill, urban garden, plantings, cob workshop, self-made urban infrastructure/benches, gym, mural) and a variety of cultural events (fundraising concerts, a summer cinema, collective dinners, workshops, artistic performances etc.) demonstrating a particular appetite for community engagement along the way. Despite profound bureaucratic limitations (The Kallikratis reform (Law 3852/2010), for instance, does not illuminate in detail how citizens can actually participate in decision making and urban planning. For further scrutiny see: Katsoulis, 2011:4). the Initiative is still developing this project, without any external sources of funding. The methodology that was used is considered ground-breaking for the city, as there have been no other cases effective bottom-up participation in urban planning. Thus far, the main challenge that has emerged through this experiment is finding ways to build trust with the surrounding urban micro-environment, breaking the negative impacts of vertical and horizontal social segregation. Arguably, this approach will assist socio-spatial appropriation on a regular basis whilst avoiding exclusionary or elitist practices. From my article: Urban Experiments in Times of Crisis: From Cultural Production to Neighbourhood Commoning (2019)