OUGD505 - Studio Brief 2 - How can we best utilise space within cities? - City Patch Project Brief

OUGD505 – How can we best utilise space within cities?

City Patch Project Brief

Overview

The City Patch Project is a charity / community project which rents out public space for local people to maintain or regenerate within the city as a way of increasing, protecting and maintaining green space to benefit both biodiversity and the local community through community engagement

What should be produced

Basic branding should be created for the charity / project which will include logo, logotype, colour scheme and typeface. A membership pack should also be produced which will be sent out to City Patch Project Members who donate money to the project every month.

The pack should include:

- A seasonal newsletter featuring local patches

- Car Sticker

- A map of the patches around the city

- A certificate for becoming a member

- Seed Packet

- Stickers

- Membership Folder to hold all the elements

Target Audience

The target Audience is 20 – 29 year olds who live in the city. They are are most likely to use the green spaces as they often have limited green space of their own, so enjoy socialising and relaxing within green spaces. The audience has an interest in nature and wildlife and values green space.

The aim of the project

Allows for the regeneration and creation of new pocket green spaces within cities. This allows for wildlife corridors to be created between larger green spaces providing space for wildlife to spread, connect and find resources. For people it provides a sense of pride in their community and gardening is good physical exercise. Having more small spaces within cities increases the larger ecosystem. Existing spaces / habitats will be protected, maintained and enhanced making the scheme beneficial for wildlife.

Background Considerations

- Green spaces should reflect the needs of the community for them to be sustainable

- Smaller pockets of green space between larger green infrastructure creates wildlife corridors allowing biodiversity to spread, whilst connecting cities to the wider environment

- A variety of unused space can be used to create new green space including street verges, rooftops, industrial spaces etc, with new smaller green spaces adding to the larger network

- It can be difficult to introduce biodiversity into cities because of limited space and development pressures. This means empty land needs to be regenerated and renewed and healthy habitats looked after so that land can be better utilised within cities.

- Having good quality green space means biodiversity is protected and increased and allows people in cities to become closer to nature

- Having neighbourhood green space allows for social interaction and increases a sense of community

- Examples of similar projects include The Highline Trail in New York which is a garden on a disused rail line which has become a popular attraction, and the Parklets in San Francisco which have improved street life and have encouraged a more active lifestyle.

Mandatory requirements:

- Should encourage the audience to get involved with further activities with the project e.g. events, volunteering etc

- The design should be engaging for the target audience whilst still appealing to a wider market

- Should promote spaces on a local level to increase accessibility to the scheme and motivate people to do something, as they will have a personal connection with the area

- Should reflect both the city and green spaces

- The design should promote the patches

- The design should be appropriate for the variety of green spaces within the city

- The design should be fun and engaging with a contemporary aesthetic appropriate for the audience