More than 40 years ago, American urbanist and pioneering public space advocate Fred Kent called it “placemaking”, defining it as a “multifaceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces.”

Placemaking allows people to reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community - strengthening the connection between people and the places they share.

Philippi Village is activating itself in ways that connect people to place and opportunity. The Philippi Village team has transformed this old, abandoned cement factory into a vibrant, integrated community development hub. They have done this through a people-centred approach. They have used intentional and ongoing community engagement to better understand the needs, aspirations, and vision of the people using the space. This has allowed them to strengthen the connection between Philippi Village and the community and ensure that their offerings are relevant and accessible.

Bushra Razack, CEO of Philippi Village, explains “Our approach puts the community at the heart of the design process. It recognises that the people who use the space will provide the most valuable perspective and insight into how the area functions. The more we can centre this as the evidence behind the design, the more relevant and meaningful our place becomes.”

In 2019, the Philippi Village team found themselves in a challenging situation. The wall surrounding the facility was a source of conflict between Philippi Village and the community. However, the way Razack mediated this conflict resulted in an interesting initiative that supported community members to define their experiences and problems in their own words and terms. She worked with Interfer Arts to use the wall as a canvas. They hosted a workshop which brought the community together to participate in a storytelling exercise that encouraged people to Re-Imagine Philippi through pictures.

These pictures were then painted along the wall by amazing Cape Town based graffiti artists. They used a colour–by–numbers technique and encouraged community members to fill in the “numbers” using the different colours.

This exercise brought together community members and stakeholders who had previously not really engaged with each other. As these groups got together, observed, listened, and shared valuable information – Razack says she realized how little Philippi Village knew about its neighbours.

She initiated a mapping exercise which involved youth from the community mapping almost 1700 homes to better understand who the neighbours were. These young people went door to door, observing, listening, and asking questions of the people who lived next door to understand their needs and aspirations for Philippi Village and for their community as a whole. Razack was hoping to integrate diverse opinions into a cohesive vision. She asked several questions and one was: “If you could have anything in Philippi Village to make you feel happy, what would it be?” The responses included more greenery, safer spaces, support for moms, access to sports, improved WIFI, and other invaluable insights.

Razack says “We took these results and worked with partners to test the responses. If community members said that they wanted access to sports, we didn’t want to assume what that meant. We opened our facility and used different spaces to test everything from rock climbing, netball, soccer, cycling, mini golf, skating, walking, and more”.

Over the last three years, despite the challenges presented, Razack and her team have created a BMX pump track, a Micro farm, a five-a-side football pitch, a running track, a sound studio, a pop-up cinema, a public art gallery, and a female run café.

That’s what stands out about Philippi Village. It is intentional in its design. The massive graffiti murals, the location of a walking track, the colour of the foyer, the name of the Café, it is designed for and with the users of the place.

With a focus on people, Philippi Village has managed to break down silos and turn feedback into palpable plans. While there have been challenges, especially when it comes to navigating socioeconomic problems and crime, focusing on the community has been an essential component of the placemaking process.

For Razack, placemaking is ultimately about strengthening the connections between community and place. “I am not a placemaking expert. I am learning as I go along. I am grateful to have a team that is willing to learn with me. We listen, ask questions, test, and provide feedback.  We focus on the knowledge coming from the community and on the needs, aspirations, and dreams of people. This way our design is a reflection of our values and of a powerful collective vision.”

When asked what she wants to create beyond the beautiful, safe, and vibrant space that Philippi Village is, Razack says “a place that serves people – an important and inspiring community asset collectively shaped by the people who use it”

As Razack says “It is possible to use proximity to challenges as an opportunity to reimagine solutions.” Philippi Village is doing this, one place, one activity and one program at a time.”