Methodology of participation in

public spaces

Xavier Úcar Martínez

Dpt. Pedagogia Sistemàtica i Social
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Xavier.ucar@uab.es
2/2008
 1rts. Part
 ÚCAR, X. (2007) “Factores clave de la
participación en los espacios públicos”
14 pág. En Animador Sociocultural:
Revista Iberoamericana. Año 2-
Número 1 – Octu.2007 / Abr. 2008 .
http://www.lazer.eefd.ufrj.br/
animadorsociocultural/pdf/ac302.pdf
(ISSN: 1980-0606)
 PARTICIPATION PUBLIC SPACES

They are mutually implied

Each one is condition of possibility from another one

• Social Learning Mechanism

• Diversity of public spaces
• It forms collective and
• Diversity of people using
personal identities
spaces
• It’s a tool but also a
• Diversity of uses
purpose
 PARTICIPATION

Recog- Prota-
nition gonism

Confi-
Confi-
dence
dence in
in own
process
capacity
Others Me

Efecti- Efecti-
veness veness
Transpa- 2 1
rency

CONDITIONS OF POSSIBILITY
 Methodology

 To create frames (scenes)

 that make possible the participation
and
 provide it enough flexibility
 to ongoing adapt it
 to a social and cultural community
changes
 2nd. Part.
 ÚCAR, X. (2006) “Investigación
participativa sobre espacios públicos y
educación cívica” .Revista
Iberoamericana de educación.
Edición digital. Nº 39-4. http://
www.rieoei.org/experiencias132.htm
(ISNN: 1681-5653)
Carmel Action

Xavier Úcar Martínez

Dpt. Pedagogia Sistemàtica i Social
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Xavier.ucar@uab.es
 Community Development Plan

 In last 10 years more than 100 Community development Plans

have been initiated in Catalonia.

The Governmental
Authorities
They are agreed Community
FUNDING
The City Council to sign Development
RESOURCES
Authorities an agreement Plan

The neighborhood
Associations
Community First step
diagnostic
EL CARMEL (Barcelona)

• 1998 Start Communitarian Plan

called CARMEL AMUNT
• 2001 Communitarian Diagnosis
 Carmel Action (2003)

Political and educational communitarian work process

 Political project
 Shared reflection dynamics about the meaning of

the public spaces to the people.

 Re-definition from public spaces’ uses and the
rights and duties associated.
 It shows the limits and possibilities from the
territories in which the daily life of the people
developed.
 Carmel Action
 Educational Project
 To involve people on the discovery of the public spaces
from their neighborhood.
 To know and to understand the meanings that other people
attribute to the use of the public spaces (Why I use this public space
in my own way?)

 To cause a change of attitudes in people in order to respect

the public space and the other people who it’s shared with.

To built a neighborhood’s future that will be

desirable, solidary, durable and sustainable.

 PARTICIPATIVE RESEARCH’ GOALS

 To discover Carmel’s public spaces and the feelings

that the people have towards them.
 To know why people (children, youth, adults, aged) use in your
own way the neighborhood’s public spaces.
 To have responsible attitudes towards use of public
spaces.
 To design proposals to the use and sustainable
maintenance of these spaces
 To initiate youth empowerment processes.
 OUTCOMES

 A function map or a uses mapping of public

spaces

 An emotional map of public spaces

 A dream map of public spaces (Community of choice)

 A sociopolitical renewal dynamics to live and use

the public spaces by the Carmel’s youth.
 METHODOLOGICAL LINES

 Working with natural groups (they are now working)

 Helping to emerge neighborhood’s practice and

groups
 Integrating initiatives, groups or interested people
 Working with other groups which have your own
process (external unities)

 Strengthen the process with products

 Documenting the project development
 PROJECT DESIGN OF CARMEL ACTION

Call for participants

R
E
S LINE 1 LINE 2
E
Children
A Youth
Youth and
Groups
C Adults children
Aged
H
MAPS

Coincidences and
divergences analyses Systematic External
observation
Integrated proposal of the public unities
space uses

T Children
Youth
Groups
E Adults
Aged
A
M
EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND PRODUCTS
METHODOLOGY:
1st. and 2nd. Session

Working by age (youth, adults, aged)

 What a public space is?

 Which public spaces are in the Carmel?
 Which the public spaces are that you normally
use?
 Which are space public characteristics, functions
and uses?
 Which positives or negatives emotions produce
every public space to you and why?
3th. Session:
THE DREAM MAP
of Carmel’s public spaces
 METHODOLOGY: 3th Session
THE DREAM MAP

 Aging mixed groups

 Recreational Methodology

 Working in little groups with a research team

member
 Dossier: The dream map
 What is a dream map?
 A concrete space public to every group
 (places, furniture, people and relationships)

 Viable proposals of improvement:

 Who must do it?

 What can do we ?
 What a public space is?

Youth, adults, aged :

 A shared people space where
you can enjoy, have a
converse, have a relationship
or, simply, spend time
 All groups related public space
with open spaces (free air)
 Adults and aged people think
that spaces publics are transit
places, crossing sites.

 Youth people think that it are

something to live; life’s places

The public spaces of El Carmel are in green

 What a public space is?
 Young people claim for your
own public spaces. They do not
speak about who is responsible
from it maintenance.
 Adults think that the
maintenance correspond to
citizenship and City Council.

 Aged people said the young

people bother other people
who is in the public spaces.
They claim for public spaces
only to youth.
 Aged people said that the
maintenance correspond to
City Council.
The public spaces that people use
are in red
 Public spaces in El Carmel Public spaces that people use

• 83 public spaces identified • 11 used but not identified

• Consensus about 3 public
• 34 identified but not used
spaces
 Work’s sessions
Youth Adults Aged Total

1st. Session 10 12 12 108

(Functional map) 10 20 12
10 10 12
2nd. Session 10 12 12 108
(Emotional map) 10 20 12
10 10 12
3th Session 30 42 36 108
(The dream map)
Total participants 30 42 36 108
by age
Total session 7 7 7 21

“External Unities”
1 Secondary School; 3 Primary School; 2 Children Center; 1 Center of
Mental Health; 1 Neighbors Association
PARTICIPATIVE RESEARCH TEAM

 1 researcher from Autonomus University of Barcelona (UAB)

 1 representative from Barcelona City Council Institute of
Education
 1 representative from neighborhood’s Community
Development Project (CDPN)
 1 social educator from CDPN
 1 undergraduate student. 4th. course Pedagogy (UAB)
 3 undergraduate student on practice. 3th. course Social
Education (UAB)
 1 PhD student from Social Psychology (University of
Barcelona)
 1 Secondary school teacher
Thank you