My Photostory, Your Photostory, Our Neighbourhood
Photography with Captions in the Participatory Urban Regeneration Process
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7480/writingplace.7.6492Keywords:
urban regeneration, participation, photovoice, neighbourhood, community, having a sayAbstract
Comprehensive urban regeneration pays special attention to the needs and aspirations of the users that are already present in the spaces to be regenerated, however new participatory tools are needed. The paper illustrates concrete fieldwork in an older neighbourhood in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where the photovoice was used to experiment with new ways of integrating residents’ notions of spaces. The paper describes the experimental process that aims to develop an operational approach to integrate the opinions of residents into the regeneration process. It discusses the methodological approach and issues of the interpretation of the individual points of view expressed through the photography and the captions. The shared values of the community are pointed out as an important base to interpret the individuals’ notions within the broader context of the non-homogeneous community where the opinions differ among its members, but a common ground is anticipated for the needs of urban planning. The paper addresses the issue of emergent property and its role in community-based neighbourhood renewal. It also encourages further experimentation with new and innovative tools for participatory urban planning where different voices must not be lost but nurtured.
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