1
USING MINECRAFT FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIN PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN
Pontus WesterbergDigital Projects OfficerUN-Habitat@pontusw
2
UN-Habitat is the UN agency for sustainable urban development
304/08/14
Urbanization trends 1950-2050
4
Cities will grow by 2.5 billion people by 2050
5
Public spaces are crucial for thefunctioning of citiesEncourages social inclusion and diversity
Improves urban safety
Provides space for democracy and good governance
Improves health and well-being
Creates positive environmental benefits
Provides space for businesses such as markets
6 6
Premise:
A ratio of 50% of public space is common is successful cities.
Manhattan, Barcelona, and Brussels have up to 35% of city area allocated to street space and an additional 15% for
other public uses.
Street network ending in broad boulevards in Barcelona © http://www.airpano.com/Photogallery-Photo.php?author=11&photo=494
Well-planned cities have 50% of the area dedicated to public space
7
Nairobi has 18% public space
8
Construction of public spaces and development of city-wide public space strategies
Partners network on public space
Knowledge sharing, advocacy and communications
UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme:
9
Benefits of participatory planning
•Makes decision making more democratic by giving citizens a voice and influence.•Can help reduce conflict by giving people ownership of plans. •Can result in designs that are better and more relevant to the people who will use the space.•Can make spaces more sustainable by involving citizens in maintenance and upkeep.
10
11
1204/08/14
1304/08/14
14
What is Minecraft?
•One of the world’s most popular computer games•100 million players worldwide•Players place different coloured blocks - sort of like a “digital Lego” - in an infinite world•Players often work together in multiplayer mode online to build fantastic structures – buildings, cities, worlds•Or they compete on servers in ‘hunger games’, parkour etc•Increasingly used for education and urban planning
15
16
+=
17
How it works
1. Google maps, plans and images are used to give an impression of the public space.
18
How it works
2. Using the material a digital version of the public space is created in Minecraft.
19
How it works
3. In workshops, participants visualize their own ideas of improving the space.
20
How it works
4. New physical elements can be easily added to the Minecraft models.
21
How it works
5. Participants present their Minecraft work to project stakeholders
22
How it works
6. Services are ranked and work is prioritized based on the discussions.
23
How it works
7. The Minecraft models are used to inspire architectural designs
24
How it works
7. The Minecraft models are used to inspire architectural designs
25
How it works
8. The spaces are built
26
How it works
8. The spaces are built
27
UN-Habitat public space Minecraft projects
Kenya
Nepal
NigeriaHaiti
Somalia
Philippines
Mexico
PeruSolomon Islands
Bangladesh
Kosovo
South Africa
India
2804/08/14
Urban waterfront project in Les Cayes, the third largestcity in Haiti
29
3004/08/14
3104/08/14
New street lighting, sports facilities and public toilets
Before
3204/08/14
New street lighting, sports facilities and public toilets
After
3304/08/14
New jetties and resting places at Porte de la pêche
Before
3404/08/14
New jetties and resting places at Porte de la pêche
After
35
Villa el Salvador, an informal settlement in Lima, Peru
36
Villa el Salvador, an informal settlement in Lima, Peru
37
3804/08/14
Parque de Villa el Salvador, Lima, Peru
Before
3904/08/14
Parque de Villa el Salvador, Lima, Peru
After
40
Solar Park, Khulna, Bangladesh
41
42
43
Benefits of using Minecraft for community participation
Changes relationship between ‘ordinary’ people and professionals such as architects and urban plannersThree-dimensional models are easier to understand than traditional architectural drawingsParticipants work together building and improving the modelsParticipants are able to easily build and explore their built environment by placing Minecraft blocksEngages young people – normally a hard-to-reach group
44
THANK YOUwww.blockbyblock.org
www.unhabitat.org
#blockbyblock