1. Framework project

Future of the suburban areas

in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais

1.1_Promoter(s)

•Regional Council of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Direction of Sustainable Development, Foresight and Assessment;

•La 27e Région;

1.2_Context and main problem

•strong urbanisation;•destruction of agricultural land;•difficulties to maintain social mix

and balance between generations;•heavy commuting traffic;•local shop/services

disappearing...

...a rururban dormitory...

Identify critical leverage point of implementation;

Explore scenarios of sustainable living in periurban area;

Explore efficient loops between regional Foresight and local experimentation;

1.3_Framework project: objectives

1.4_Framework project: visions and strategy

Intention is to use ‘residences’ as a format of both investigation of the periurban area and implementation of a series of local projects.

The project is still at early start and in the process of building a vision and related strategies...

1.5_Framework project: local projects list

No local projects have been defined yet but an exploration workshop allow to identify 7 strategic points that may suggest areas for potential local projects...

1.5.1_Tentative local project 1

To facilitate the life of commuters, local train stations as Orchie heading towards larger cities around need to become hubs of services for instance integrating systems of shopping delivery (‘free hands’; 'shopping train'); offering services of personalised baggage room (‘cloakroom’) or stimulating interaction between travellers through information exchange systems ('urban playlist'; 'good news').

Services at the station

1.5.2_Tentative local Project 2

Periurban places need to re-invent their own appeal, offering activities and reasons for the residents to live there beyond the attractiveness of the large city nearby for instance creating distant co-working spaces in existing places such as 'school-office' stimulating social life ('the shared canteen'), generating networks of cultural activities ('Fline house') or developing initiatives of disseminated museum ('nomad art'). 

New social activities

1.5.3_Tentative local Project 3

Periurban areas are characterised by relatively long distances and less density in terms of social and cultural fabric, something that local social networks can improve: they may support identification of cultural events in the area ('Around us') and social initiatives ('My Radio'; networking of social local resources as 'Our kraftmen' and lending of personal equipments as for 'Share your stuff'). Also they may enable the pooling of local knowledge ('Golden books' service or in the local 'Day-to-day library')...

Systems of localised information

1.5.3_Tentative local Project 4

Agricultural land appears to often in periurban areas as not more than a stock of available land for building. Switching part of the industrial agriculture to short food networks providers means a great potential to rebuild the relationships between cities and the countryside based for instance on promotion of orchards ('Grow-up') or of direct purchase ('Short circuits').

Short food circuits

1.5.3_Tentative local Project 5

Putting forward periurban areas means also to rebuild its appeal as a place for local tourism for the cities around for instance refurbishing valuable architectures to provide infrastructures ('Disseminated hotel') or create working spaces in the green ('The anthill'); promoting initiatives of tourism coming form the inhabitants themselves ('The seniors of Douai') or the participative edition of local touristic guides ('co-lonely planet of the Pévele')...

Local tourism

1.5.3_Tentative local Project 6

A large part of the population living in periurban areas is working in the city nearby. It is hardly there during the day therefore it is important to support means to reinforce social boundaries for instance through the constitution of local social hubs and connectors ('Neighbourhood collective houses'; 'Landlord of the spot'), the creation of meeting places between neighbours ('Evening canteen'; 'letter kiosk'), the setting of local media ('through there') of citizens mutual help networks ('Public credit') or of logistic neighbourhood services ('Post-plus).

Neighbourhood relationships

1.5.3_Tentative local Project 7

Promotion of commuting with public transports implies to facilitate a sustainable local mobility towards the local stations through initiatives towards car pooling in Orchie ('co-parking') and for circulation within the periurban area through initiatives of bicycle bus from the police on bike (‘accompanying shallows’) or facilitating the mobility of the teenagers on the area ('eBus').

Local mobility

1.6_Framework project: actions

Kick-off of the project based on an exploration workshop with design students.

1.6.1_Framework Action 1

Simulation of a more sustainable periurban...• overview of periurban challenges and opportunities;• tentative local adaptation of a selection of cases of social innovation;• exploration of potential sustainable transformation of local public services;• generation of more than 30 video-sketch of tentative collaborative services;• clustering of 7 strategic points towards potential local projects.

1.7_Framework project: comments

Strategic conversation between the stakeholders stimulated by the output of the stimulation workshop;

Identification of potential places for residences (i.e. local public development consultancy)

1.7.1_Framework project: timeline

What is the timeline from the start? At which stage is the project arrived?

Background: scheme of the framework project timeline

2010 (Re)designing the regions 2011

Progressive deployment of a network of residences in the area investigating different profiles of local projects towards the emergence of a framework project

3. Design role

Facilitating engagement of local stakeholders through the simulation of transformative projects...

3.1 Leading...

Compared to classical public action, residences proposed a light, hands-on collaborative design-driven action-research approach oriented to quick experimentation, capacity building and renewal of public action.

Design-based constuctive hacking...

3.1 Investigating...

Quick and light field investigation through a photo safari-like journey in the Pévèle area.

Local safari...

3.1 Facilitating...

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Action plan for residences as a succession of immersion co-design sessions and emersion sedimentation periods.

Residences approach...

3.1 Envisioning...

A brainstorming of video sketches showing for instance examples of possible services to be organised around the local train station in order to support commuting by public transports.

Video-brainstorming...

3.1 Systemising...

During the emersion periods, Inter-residences sessions allow cross-fertilisation and exchanges and synergies between the different residences.

Inter-residence sessions...

3.1 Envisioning...

The Resident Guide as a shared toolkit to sediment lessons learned between the residences and to facilitate the orientation of new teams of residents.

Residence toolkit...

3.1 Envisioning...

A brainstorming of sustainable services resulting into a 'demonstrator' of sustainable and quality living in periurban areas to prompt strategic conversation.

Demonstrator...