Image of Thoughts
A revamped decision making system via open platform
Landscape/Urban design is about plan/section/axonometric drawings, however, this is not the whole of design but only the outcome of more complex non-tangible elements of decision making. What kind of park should this area have? Why are there restrictions on planning permits in this master planning? These are the questions which needs to be solved not only by the stake holders but coming up with mutual agreement with the general public is important and landscape/urban designers can help this by setting up platform of gathering through spatial design. The issue of rubbish collection is used primary as driver of change in this project.
Landscape architect’s perspective of problematic decision making issue
Moonee Ponds River in Melbourne has 4 different types of governmental bodies across and these people do not communicate with each other leaving rubbish in the stream causing problems for residents towards the south and natural contamination across the whole river system.
Diagram of overall problem of un co-ordinated communication system
As a team, we observed the following problems.
· Four different councils governing the area
· Rubbish that leave there are of authority becomes other’s problem
· Local friends group cleaning the rubbish becomes unseen by bigger body
· Lack of communication creates more problem by violating laws
· At the same time, the creek becomes contaminated constantly
· Everything repeats and no changes occur and community is blaming the authorities and vice versa
Vision of the project Image of thoughts
Thus our vision for Moonee Ponds Creek was to create a decision making platform bringing balance, transparency and calibration for the community and governmental body.
Project timeline digram reaching out to the media
We know this vision is not achievable from square one. Many local small scaled projects needs to occur in order to gain strength and voice that will trigger other projects and ultimately getting the media’s attention.
Using simple weapon of advertising called social media
The weapon of choice by the team was to use social media. This is an easy to use and widely spread system available for us that can cause the most power. Organising an event is done through Facebook, live feed of the event is fed via Twitter and aftermath is reported and broadcasted with webpage.
Public installment of peek and seek box in Macaulay station
Seek and Peek box is created and advertised through the social media depicting the importance of changing Moonee Ponds Creek in order to save it from becoming a rubbish collecting uninviting zone.
Public involement of project Image of thoughts
Voices of the Community is done simultaneously with the Seek and Peek box. Setting up blackboards in the train station getting people’s attention and their point of view on this matter is collected every day. This brought the most interesting response as people liked to use this medium to tell their story without difficulty of accessing the local council.
From rubbish colleting problem to reating decision making platform
At the end of the studio, a public event is made, bringing Melbourne Water, the governmental body is played a part. This event was about designing a rubbish trap which actually brought no benefit to Moonee Ponds Creek besides advertising the fact creek is dirty. The real aim for this event was to bring the general public and governmental people together and creating something small together which ended up with a great functioning tool.
Ultimately this showed that people can work together coming up with mutual agreement. And started a journey of demolishing the barrier between people and government.