Placemaking: Strategic use of events

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1 Placemaking: Strategic use of events Ruth Rentschler Sunny Lee Chris Krolikowski Sam Huang School of Management University of South Australia

2 Background Aims & Objectives Placemaking Methodology Findings A Framework for Placemaking Effective placemaking elements Conclusions Outline Report unisabusinessschool.edu.au/docs/activating- Adelaides-Precincts

3 Background Economic challenges Challenging retail environment Declining popularity of some precincts High vacancy rates for commercial property Experience economy Tourism, events, culture & arts as the new industry Urban design integral to the urban experience Policy frameworks South Australia s Strategic Plan Creating a vibrant city Focus on tourism and events sector

4 Aim and objectives Understand role of tourism, events, arts and culture in placemaking strategy of precincts and mainstreets To investigate approaches to placemaking in precincts and mainstreets To explore the current use of tourism, events, arts and culture for placemaking of precincts and mainstreets To identify key challenges faced by local councils and business associations in implementing placemaking strategies How events are used as placemaking strategy Elements that make events effective at placemaking

5 Place -making Place is humanised space, it is space imbued with meaning (Tuan, 1977, p. 54). It is the product of socialized human beings, open, and actively created and re-created by social process (Shaw & Williams, 2004, p. 214). Place is the frame within which experience (along with the conceptions of self-identity) is to be understood (Malpas, 1999, p. 16). Place is hence how we make the world meaningful and the way we experience the world (Cresswell, 2004, p. 12).

6 Placemaking Placemaking is the way in which all human beings transform the places they find themselves into the places where they live. (Schneekloth & Shibley, 1995, p.1) Placemaking consists of those daily acts of renovating, maintaining, and representing the places that sustain us... (Schneekloth & Shibley, 1995, p.1)

7 Events and Placemaking Events can play a significant role in placemaking through: drawing on community aspirations and values to develop a shared sense of place (Aravot, 2002) Receiving attention and expressing shared, collective meaning and values (Getz, 1991) animating communities and improving quality of life, but also (re)generating economic values and place image and meaning (Quinn, 2005) connecting people, festivals and places (Coghlan et al. 2017) But, if not managed properly, events can create negative impacts and hurt local community and businesses.

8 Methodology In-depth interviews Sampling: purposive and expert sampling, snowball Key considerations Representative of government and industry bodies Representative of different types of precincts and mainstreets Representative of different spatial, economic and socio-cultural contexts Outer suburb precincts Inner suburb precincts City-centre precincts 20 interviews with 28 representatives of 10 city councils 10 business associations Interview questions: function & character of precincts; used placemaking strategies; the role of arts, culture, events and tourism, including key challenges and elements that make these activities effective at placemaking Data analysis: thematic analysis

9 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy Events are used to: Increase foot traffic Create stronger exposure Enhance image and identity Provide vibrancy and attention Change the use of space / the behaviour pattern Build social capital/sense of community

10 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy - Increase foot traffic Winter Wonderland <Play and Go Adelaide, 2016, -glenelg-city-of-holdfast-bay-2-31-jul-2016/>

of Onkaparinga, 2017, http://onkaparingacity.

11 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy - Create stronger exposure Love Velo Seaside <City of Onkaparinga, 2017,

Parade <South Australian Style, 2017, http://www.

12 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy - Enhance image and identity Parades on Norwood Parade <South Australian Style, 2017,

13 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy - Provide vibrancy and attention The St. Jerome s Laneway Festival, Port Adelaide <Laneway Festival, 2017,

14 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy - Change the use of space / the behaviour pattern Stirling Laneways <Stirling Adelaide Hills, 2017,

15 1. How events are used as a placemaking strategy - Build social capital/sense of community Busking Round the Square, Henley Square <City of Charles Sturt, 2016,

16 2. Effective placemaking elements External stakeholder engagement Holistic placemaking plan EVENTS for placemaking Community support Strategic event concepts A good fit with the precinct

17 2. Elements that make events effective at placemaking - External stakeholder engagement Active engagement with community leaders business associations the state and local governments Sponsors Suppliers property owners so, building better partnerships is probably the one of the key things we have been really focusing on, because through those partnerships we are able to achieve a lot more

18 2. The elements that make events effective at placemaking - Community support Community support through meeting their wants and needs A needs assessment of stakeholders is the key we ve learnt a lot over the last years, and I guess we ve had to learn to change the event program to meet our community s needs. we are making sure that whatever we develop, whatever we come out, it s not we re doing it to them (the community), we re doing it with them and it s an event program that will really meet their needs and enable them to do what it is they want to do.

19 2. The elements that make events effective at placemaking - A good fit with the precinct and mainstreet A good fit with existing user group or target market facilities & infrastructure image and brand of the precinct the vision of the precinct so whenever we do events, whether they re small or huge, we look at what is the demographic we want to target use and highlight the infrastructure and the [historical] stories and the already existing knowledge that we have in the area

20 2. The elements that make events effective at placemaking - Strategic event concepts Develop an event concept which enhances a relationship between users and the precinct includes local community and businesses to build social capacity offers something unique and different Attracts your target markets, including existing user and new user groups and tourists Delivers the experiences which can serve as a catalyst for change in the use of the space events have a purpose, that it s not just putting a day so that people come and have a good time and go, but that there are long-term impacts. That would be connecting people to a space or trying to use that as a catalyst for change or building relationships or capacity building within the community

21 2. The elements that make events effective at placemaking - Holistic placemaking plan Events is part of placemaking strategy Events can have long-lived impacts if it is planned and managed well Build the event portfolio which manages the events in the precinct to create synergy among the events and optimise outcomes Other non-event activities should go together with events to sustain and enhance outcomes yes, it is great to have events, but events along don t create a space and a beautiful building doesn t create a space. It is the stories that go with it so with that, to create more of a space and to create more of a belonging.

22 Conclusion To utilize events effectively for placemaking and to achieve specific objectives of individual precincts and mainstreets, a more strategic approach is required for successful and sustainable event outcomes: Design an event which can create meaning of place and make people attach to place Create a placemaking culture that values collaboration among staketholders Understand the needs and roles of stakeholders in placemaking by conducting a needs assessment of stakeholders Understand images of precincts and what precincts have to offer through market studies Examine the gradual changes on the perception of the place and the new pattern of use of the place through long-term impact studies

23 Activating Adelaide s precincts: Placemaking through culture, arts & events Topline report: unisabusinessschool.edu.au/docs /Activating-Adelaides-Precincts

24 THANK YOU

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