A playful park renovation

Overview

Karantina Play Garden is a public park renovation in a low-income neighbourhood in Beirut’s northeast, aimed to create a meeting point for children and diverse communities through community participation and engagement. The intervention produced play elements to animate the park and emphasized the importance of community ownership of public space in placemaking.

Location:
Al-Mudaww district, Beirut, Lebanon

Organisation:
Catalytic Action

Partner organisations:
Zeina Kronfol and Pamela Haydamou (consultants). The Chain Effect, Recycle Lebanon, Urban pins

Beneficiary:
Children 0-5, children 6+, local community

Scale of proximity:
Neighbourhood

Built environment component:
Open space, street

Design insights

Visual/Aesthetic:
Mural and object painting contribute to the idea of a playful environment for children.

Technology:
Projecting silhouettes of workshop participants on murals helped creating a playful environment and contributed to develop children self-expression.

Process:
Engaging children and the wider community in several workshops throughout the design process was key to developing a sense of ownership over the space. The designed play elements built around the bridge are inspired by the workshops carried out and observations throughout the process.

Implementation insights

When working with a divided community, focusing efforts in co-creating and engaging through children can create positive engagement and future use of the renewed space across the whole community.

Links:

https://www.catalyticaction.org/karantina-park-rehabilitation-participatory-design/

Organisation
Region
Intervention Type
Dimensions
Scales of proximity
Design guide phases

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