Childrens’ involvement in public decision making
Recreation Center Oostervant
(60 delegates, by bus)
For this field trip, we visit Recreation Center Oostervant, located in the Middelland neighbourhood. In this area, Rotterdam focuses on larger family homes, excellent schools, parks and room to play for children. The municipality has been working closely with the housing corporation Woonstad Rotterdam, Recreation Center Oostervant, the Marnix College (school), professionals and occupants on the development of the square surrounding the recreation center. Also, children played an important role in the process and were asked to bring in their ideas and wishes. During the field trip you will learn, amongst others, how the children were involved and what their involvement have meant to the project.
Programme of the field trip
The field trip will start with a walking tour to visit the square and the recreation center Oostervant, followed by an introduction on the project and the development of the square and the involvement of children by Marieke Hillen, Independent editor and initiator ‘Huize Middelland’.
After the introduction we will start with the workshop ‘Designing our child friendly city’ led by Lidija Poth (Designer, program maker, teacher and owner of Poth-Peak &CO). Lidija is founder of the Hottentot foundation, an NGO with a mission to inform and involve children in their urban environment.
This workshop (which also involves schoolchildren and students of the Technical University of Delft) will demonstrate how to familiarise children with city planning and how to encourage them to develop their own views and ideas. It will show what children add to urban planning. Together with the schoolchildren and students of the Technical University of Delft you will work on an assignment in a relaxed and playful atmosphere. There will be worked in three different set-ups: a group of children will design by themselves, a group of children will cooperate with a group of adults and a group of adults will design by themselves. Participation experts and the children’s jury will monitor the processes and results, and present their findings in a final wrap-up. The children and students have defined assigned jobs during a preparatory meeting. What does their school of the future look like? How do they want to use the urban space surrounding their homes?
The jury of experts consists of:
Jorn Wemmenhove – Urbanist at Because and initiator Happy Streets and
Myron Freeling – Urban Developer City of Rotterdam
Ivet Pieper – Senior project manager at the Alexander Foundation
Sharaifa Mik