How to Explore Your Neighbourhoods

Details: Community Aesthetics - EQF Level 3

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Around the world there is growing interest in creating places in which most of people's daily needs can be met within a short walk or cycle. The benefits of this approach are multiple: people become more active, improving their mental and physical health; traffic is reduced, and air quality improved; local shops and businesses thrive; and people see more of their neighbours, strengthening community bonds.

Knowing how to explore your neighbourhood enhances a sense of community, embraces spirit, character, image and pride and is a vital element of a healthy community. It is a feeling that people within the community matter to one another with a shared faith that their needs will be met through commitment and togetherness and this will be reflected in the design and aesthetics of the neighbourhood.

Task

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The idea of the '20-minute neighbourhood' (also known as 15-minute cities) has grown with interest around the world, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the importance of the liveability of where we live.

Your task is to make a short 20 minute video that captures your neighbourhood and highlights all the key amenities that are used by the residents. You will work directly with the community and must ensure your video to be: safe, accessible and well connected for pedestrians and cyclists to optimise active transport, offer high-quality public realm and open spaces, provide services and destinations that support local living and shows what aesthetic elements the local community take pride in.

Process

First, read the 20 Minutes Video guide included the resources section under documents. This will provide you ideas on how to draft a 'storyboard' for your video and plan what you need to film and whether you want to interview people and or just include footage of locations, buildings, and cut aways.

Secondly, included in the resources under the links are EUCourses Reading the City course outline this will provide you with some ideas on how to 'read' your city/neighbourhood and how you capture this.

Finally, you are to watch the three videos included in the resources section under videos and ensure you follow the instructions in producing a film using your mobile phone. You only need a mobile phone and if possible a tripod and microphone to carry out the task of making your own 20 minutes video. You will need to ensure you have understood the instructions in the videos:

Filming using mobile phone/tablet for beginners
Video Interviews
Videos at Heritage site
How to Map your Neighbourhood

Conclusion

Once you have undergone How To Explore your Neighbourhood you will be able to investigate Europe through its cities, towns and neighbourhoods. Exploring a number of aspects of cultural identity and comparing the various identities expressed by other Europeans. Through a fun way learners can explore what their city and neighbourhood looks like today, where do people live, work and play? Are the small local shops still functioning? Is there still a place of worship, a library, a post office, a bank, a pub or bar in every quarter? Does everyone take the car to the shopping mall and has the internet changed our cities and neighbourhoods forever!

Evaluation

Learning Objectives

Exploring your neighbourhood provides adults with skills that will enable them to “read” cities and towns. Giving them the grammar and vocabulary to explore a number of aspects of cultural identity and comparing the various identities expressed by others.

Knowledge

After having followed the training material and the example exercises, the trainees should have required a good knowledge of describing different aspects of city and neighbourhood development in at least two of the following: Identity, History and heritag

Skills

The participant will develop written and oral skills in order to describe a city or town from different aspects.
The participant will be able to reflect upon his/her own texts and communicate said texts with others to a good oral level.

Attitude

Community aesthetics connects us to our ability to reflect on and appreciate the world around us which in turn gives us feelings of contentment and hope and pride