Placemaking. What is it and how do we achieve it?
This month I had the pleasure of attending a Placemaking workshop that was run by David Engwicht from Creative Communities International.There is no doubt that this discipline will become an important component when designing residential aged care.
Studies highlight that aged care residents still want to be part of the community and experience normal everyday things. The baby boomers will not only want this but will expect and demand it!
So what is placemaking? Simply put, like home making turns house into a home placemaking turns space into a place.
Currently many aged care facilities incorporate areas that are no more than token gestures. For example as cafes that are not really cafes but spaces set up to resemble a cafe with vending machines and automatic coffee machines. The question we need to ask is what are we trying to achieve? If we are trying to achieve more vibrant energetic spaces that will create and encourage neighbourhood and community interaction then maybe we need to consider different options other than just private dining rooms or cinemas.
I never realised until after attending the placemaking workshop how valuable these ideas are and how important they should be in aged care. It is more relevant now than ever.
If you would like to discuss options and get some further information on placemaking please contact me debbie@dfdesign.com.au