“Forum” – an informal interdisciplinary platform for the challenges of public space in the countryside

“Forum” – an informal interdisciplinary platform for the challenges of public space in the countryside

The creation of public space in rural and peri-urban areas is a challenge that requires a multidisciplinary approach. It is for this reason that IN-HABIT Nitra, in cooperation with the Creative Center of SPU in Nitra and other partners, decided to initiate a joint platform of experts from the fields of architecture, design, urban planning, education, culture, public policy, rural development and other areas. The project partners include the National Rural Development Network, ZAN, the Slovak agricultural Library at SUA and Prounion. The platform is established to analyze the specific requirements of the transformation of public spaces in rural and peri-urban settlements.

The idea of a platform of regular meetings

At the initial meeting on October 14, we discussed how we should approach the inclusive transformation of public spaces in rural. Also, the identity of public space in the city and the countryside, Manifesto 2020 and the New European Bauhaus were discussed. Our discussion focused on the example of the peri-urban district of Dražovce, where In-Habit is co-designing experimental inclusive solutions for public space. In addition, we also addressed the topic of interdisciplinarity in design and architecture and tried to formulate the key reasons for the creation of a communication platform composed of a wide range of experts. The plaform will meet regularly as a main idea is to sharing of the experiences between professionals and lay public.

On Thursday, December 8, members of the platform met for the second time. The aim of the second meeting was to identify the opportunities and threats in the case of the transformation of the public space in Dražovce, based on the previous analyses.