THINKING FADURA

GETXO (SPAIN)

Client: Getxo Kirolak 
Date: 2017
Status: Completed
Program: Participatory project to envision the transformation of the Fadura sports center into an open park.
Scope: Social, ecological, demographic and technical diagnosis. Social mapping and preliminary participatory involvement.

Fadura is an important sports center in Getxo, Biscay, with green spaces occupying an ecologically sensitive area. The existing facilities provide a wide array of recreational and athletic services to the active community of Getxo, which was declared Best European City of Sports in 2014.

The Thinking Fadura project is an opportunity to transform the area into an open park, in a way that gauges public opinion while addressing potential issues like security, accessibility, compatibility of uses — Thinking Fadura imagines Fadura Park as a catalyst of a sustainable social, economic and cultural development.

The assignment was to take preparatory actions towards an upcoming participatory process. During the duration of this preliminary phase, a technical process and a social one were started in parallel:

The project consisted of three main components:

DIAGNOSIS

An urban diagnosis of the Fadura Park was made in order to identify the main issues, challenges, and opportunities that the park, the surrounding area and the population currently possess. This diagnosis was intended to inform both the technical development and the participatory process.

Aspects like ecology, mobility, accessibility, urban, space, security, use, culture and economy  were diagnosed, revealing the importance of this park as a sociological keystone in the area.  Text and graphics were created to provide clarity and make the information easier to understand to different audiences.

SOCIAL MAPPING

In addition to the technical diagnosis, a ‘social mapping’ was created by meeting and interviewing all possible stakeholders and representing their relationships, their possible level of involvement and the key topics they were interested in. Over the course of four months, the team conducted multi-stakeholder meetings and presentations to engage the users of the park, as well as to inform and prepare them for the participatory process.

As a result of this process, a social diagnosis was made, including the main issues or key topics identified by the participants, as well as a mapping of their existing relationships and their participation potential. This information would be crucial during the upcoming nine month implementation phase of the participatory process and the creation of a schematic plan for the new park.

WEB PLATFORM

The virtual portal Thinking Fadura was created to disseminate related documents, highlight the findings of the process and share the ideas and concepts around the park. It was also intended as the foundation for an effective online presence, an accessible access point to the participatory process and a reliable and up-to-date source of information.

Thinking Fadura website

Here, users can explore aspects of the project such as vision, timeline and activities, and project archive. From there, they may also connect to the various social media channels of the project, take part in surveys or access a more interactive participatory platform.

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