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Collaboration and inclusiveness are important if the space outside Whangaparaoa Library is to be revitalised into a community hub, according to overseas expert Milenko Matanovic.
Milenko is the founder of the US-based Pomegranate Center, which specialises in “strengthening communities through collaborative placemaking”. He visited NZ at the invitation of Beacon Pathway and was sought out by the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board this month to assist with its plan to revamp the library’s outdoor area.
At a workshop at the library on August 2, he worked with a group of around 20 people, including local board members, Cr Wayne Walker and representatives of community groups, to highlight potential changes that could make the space more inviting, attractive and usable.
A key subject of discussion was the need to work with The Plaza, opposite, which local board member Janet Fitzgerald says is already happening through the Whangaparaoa 2030 project, and looks positive.
There could also be a closer connection with Whangaparaoa Hall and its new community garden.
One of the most popular suggestions was that either end of Main Street (which currently divides The Plaza from the library) become like a roundabout.
“That would make the piece in the middle pedestrian friendly, rather than a road straight through,” Janet says. “Basically you could come in and go out the same way but not drive straight through.”
Local board chair Julia Parfitt said that at the workshop that some members of the community are angry that Main Street was poorly designed at the start.
Milenko said this is a common problem and the solution is for the community to take ownership.
He said that playful, creative spaces that the community enjoy sharing and that bring them together have spin offs that include feeling safer.
“People recognise each other from gathering in a community space, and so they feel safer than if they were surrounded by strangers,” he said.
The model he suggested for moving the project forward includes involving local people in every aspect right through to construction; making regulators such as the Council part of the process but not as dictators of what should happen, and listening to each other.
He said that the project could be a pilot for a new way for the community to work with local government. “Give it a try – there’s nothing to lose and lots to gain,” he said.
Janet Fitzgerald says that the next steps will include more consultation. “With good collaboration and sharing ideas we will end up with more vitality and a place that people would make a destination to enjoy,” she says.
