Dariusz Smiechowski
In the Public Library in Mielnik (Podlasie Region, Eastern Poland) schoolboys participating in the game show its effect at the concept stage – a vision of small changes. Many of proposed ideas were realized soon after.
By Dariusz Smiechowski, lecturer, Interior Design Faculty, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw - August 7, 2014
This is the final post in our "Old Place New Tricks" blog series. We at the Metropolitan Planning Council hear from community groups that want to make their neighborhood more active and inviting, but don’t know where to begin. This year’s Old Place New Tricks Placemaking challenge was designed to help communities work through the process of creating change, drawing from examples in the U.S. and Europe. You can find the rest of the posts here and learn more about the contest here.
Although the term “public space” includes places like libraries and cultural centers, we rarely think of our public indoor spaces in the same way that we think of our public outdoor spaces. Yet they are open and accessible to everybody, and their potential for social interactions is as important as their cultural or scientific purpose. Although their hours of operation are limited, libraries are often used for a longer time and more intensely than their outdoor public counterparts, and in any weather. They have their specific purpose—exchanging knowledge through literature and media, exhibiting art, education, etc.—but they play a crucial role in their communities: a special kind of open room, a “third place.” Public libraries, especially in small communities, are ripe for Placemaking.
I’ve been interested in sustainable approaches to architecture and urban design since my architectural studies. Over time I discovered for myself that sustainability is impossible without engaging the users of the space. In 2009 I joined an Association of Polish Architects’ and Information Society Development Foundation’s project, working with public libraries in Poland to improve their places and re-establish them as community hubs. The project’s team at the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Architects brought together library users and staff to exchange ideas and knowledge through the innovative “Art of Shaping Library Space” pilot project.
All told, 30 public libraries in rural Polish towns were included in the state-funded pilot in 2010 as a participation-based method to modernize their buildings and programming. The pilot’s framework centers on a simple board game that engages library staff and users simultaneously. Games, facilitated by architects, usually take two days and focus on specific areas of concern. Together, the groups of librarians, patrons and governmental representatives tackle issues of public access, aesthetic merit, construction, equipment, lighting, colors and, most importantly, spaces for group interaction.
The board game is used during each session as a tool to survey the existing conditions and propose changes. The group uses an at-scale drawing of the space and manipulates models of furniture and accessories to reimagine a space that will better meet the community’s needs. These elements are added and subtracted, modified and reorganized while the group brainstorms a spatial organization and style. Participants can recommend changes concerning individual rooms and areas. The architect and designer also participate but their role is to weigh in on the feasibility of suggestions to help ensure that the plans are grounded in reality. The outcome of the process, a vision and report, is placed in a visible spot for additional users to view and provide feedback.
Results from our process include suggestions from families and kids who wanted a swing or a slide in front of the building (or even inside); teens wanted places to sit in a more relaxed way on the floor or beanbag pillows. Again and again we heard a resounding desire to bring food and drink to the library and create a café atmosphere. Some adults wanted a common space to chat and play board games, while elders voted for better light to read by and comfortable armchairs to sit in or even take a nap. One person even suggested placing an easel, brushes and paint next to a window with a beautiful view. All of these ideas typically fall outside of the library’s purview. Importantly, the game presented additional concerns over ensuring that the space was accessible to everyone and provided additional basic amenities including restroom facilities and bicycle racks.
Evaluation phase at the end of workshops for the librarians of the Regional Public Library in Poznan (spring 2014). The participants are training to spread the participatory consultation method on a local scale, using the method worked out in the pilot project.
It was very important to involve the entire library staff, not just management, so that they could voice their needs and recommendations as well. Transparency and openness of space were themes that resonated throughout the process. Time was allocated to discuss controversies that surfaced so that the group could arrive at consensus on a decision. This proved to be the most challenging part, because it was obvious that not everyone’s needs could be met, yet participants found great value in having the opportunity to air their concerns. Paramount to this process is the importance of encouraging diverse groups of people to engage in a conversation to express their needs and ideas about “their” space so they, too, feel engaged and responsible for creating and activating it now and in the future. The goal is for the group to work together and come to consensus. This process has been especially valuable for young people, as it provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about citizenship and democracy. Over time, we learned that goal-oriented statements such as "I believe adults would spend more time in the library if...” are a way for the group, who may have different opinions, to have a positive and productive conversation.
At the onset, giving people an open forum to create their dream library seemed like a risky proposition. One might expect that ideas would include a bowling alley or swimming pool: fun, but also impossible to implement. Participants, however, treated this game very seriously and prioritized reason and feasibility in all of their recommendations. Most of the ideas identified in this process are simple and inexpensive. It seems they could already have been easily introduced years ago, but no one thought about them.
Given time and a little community elbow grease, our pilot method has the potential to fundamentally redesign the way we think about our libraries—as the public places they truly are. Libraries already cater to a diverse range of people. Let’s capitalize on all that potential for positive energy.
Dariusz Smiechowski is an architect and lecturer at the Interior Design Faculty, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (Poland) and guest-lecturer and a architectural publicist and critic. He participates and leads projects and programs related to sustainability in architecture and urban design. Smiechowski's primary interest is the intersection of environmental consciousness and public participation and how this confluence can inform design and governance as part of democratic processes.