Originally published on 01 December 2015

In Johannesburg, a new project changed neglected parks into lively community spaces using an unexpected tool: the computer game called Minecraft.

What was the problem?

Johannesburg, the biggest city in South Africa, has many parks and public spaces. Many of these parks were unsafe. End Street North Park in Doornfontein was especially bad, with problems like homelessness, vandalism, illegal dumping, and high crime rates. Seeing the park's bad condition, the Johannesburg Open Space Policy decided to fix it to create more fun places and better facilities.

How did they solve it?

In December 2015, a Block by Block Workshop was held to take back End Street North Park and involve local residents in its redesign and upkeep. People were shown how to use the Minecraft game on their computers and cellphones to imagine and suggest big changes. The Minecraft app helps you build imaginary spaces like parks and houses. This new way encouraged community involvement and care for the space.

So how did they do it?

• Community workshops: Residents joined workshops using Minecraft to plan park improvements.
• High-impact changes: Suggestions shown on Minecraft included better benches, more lights, improved toilets, new playgrounds, and an open-air gym.
• Public space check: They mapped public spaces in the central business district to see where they needed to fix.
• Mixed reality viewing: Community members saw the Minecraft designs in mixed reality.
• Ongoing management: The project team worked with city leaders to make sure the park was used and maintained.

“If we mainstream this kind of co-creation, public participation, and urban communication, we are going to get public ownership of cities. This is exactly the kind of thing I will be looking at in the future.” — Cristo Botes, Johannesburg Development Agency

“Community engagement is really important to ensure that the spaces that we build are high quality, needed, and maintained afterwards.” — Pontus Westerberg, UN-Habitat

Acknowledgements:

Original article written by: blockbyblock.org

Photograph supplied by: blockbyblock.org

Source

Get your community involved

Is there a community-driven group or caring business in your area? A dedicated group of committed people can effectively solve local problems.

Think about starting or joining community groups like a street WhatsApp group, residents' association, or community policing forum (CPF) to get help and to stay informed and involved in local issues.

• How to set up a community group
• How to start a WhatsApp group
• How to start a residents' association
• How to set up a community policing forum
• How to set up a neighbourhood watch
• How to organise community action
• How to use media to create pressure for change

Know your rights – how local government works

It’s important to understand how your local government works so that you can work with them to support what they are doing while your community continues to keep them accountable and deliver services on time. Remember you have a constitutional right to many of the services provided by local government, as well as to accountability and transparency, wherever you live and regardless of how much you earn. It is also where money collected from taxes and rates goes.