The first Ideal Park Forum Meeting will be held on Wednesday 3rd February at St. Paul’s Church, Belchers Lane, between 5.30pm and 7.00pm. Please come along to find out more about ‘Our Place’ and help set up a Friends of the Park group.
Speaking to Maria in Ideal park about parks in her hometown in Bucharest, Romania.
Over the past year I have spent much time listening the views of the community of Bordesley Green neighbourhood of Birmingham who regularly use the Ideal village park. This park used to be a famous village park where people used to come to visit, take family photos on special occasions, such as wedding photos, sometime they used to bring a small picnic. People shared these memories, also talked about their visions and dreams about the future of the park, ideas of improving the park. Since the Locality’s Community Mobilization project came into effect, I have been conducting some more listenings, engaging with communities who has newly arrived in the neighbourhood and are part of various activities. They are frequent visitors of the Ideal park especially during summer I spotted them in the park and had the opportunity to speak to them and listening to their ideas on how they would like to improve the park.
This has provided a good background to people’s vision with regards the park and by making use of Our Place methodology it is hoped that a Friends of the Park can be formed. This will enable the friends of the park group to design an operational plan, take responsibilities of managing their own park, cost out expenses to refurbish the park and apply for the a grant. It is envisaged that while applying various participatory tools and techniques of Our Place method community will be able to persuade their local authority council to take part in their effort of managing their park, as well as share responsibilities of winning the bidding process and / or develop Ideal Park as the people wish it to be.
I met Maria in the Park with her family. She told me park and green spaces are precious for city dwellers in her hometown in Bucharest, Romania. Municipality provides benches and litter bins in the park and people use them respectfully. Despite there are no benches in the Ideal park, yet she finds the space a daily respite from her mundane work, and a place of convivial environment where she can laugh with her children and other family members and can be just late to return home. She and her family are among 50 other local residents whom I have engaged in conversation recently shared their concerns about degradation of the place, and the dilapidated condition of the park and would like to see a change. Our Place approach may be an opportunity if community engagement will be successful.
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