The motivation for this project stemmed from the concern over to what extent the urban residents of Chania could perform their activities and relate to their environment.
Shops and businesses are abandoned in the city centre. Public amenities and facilities fall into disrepair. Subsequently the town’ s image is altered and with every aspect of life in decline there is a sense of discontinuity in the fabric of urban society.
Under these circumstances social renewal cannot occur unless the members of the community develop relations based on trust while sharing a collective spirit in their everyday life.
The aim of this project therefore is to set in motion existing social and community networks as well as create new ones.
We initially compiled a list of the town’s utilities and the abandoned locations in the centre of Chania. We subsequently composed a questionnaire in order to pinpoint the current needs of the town citizens and what was lacking. One key question was their willingness to volunteer their skills and services and become actively involved in the program.The young graduates of Chania were considered the most suitable subjects for this operation as they are at transitional stage and in the process of resetting their goals. We investigated their viewpoints regarding our main query: How this network would be structured, what functions it could serve, where it would be accommodated ,how it could be developed. We created a scenario of community participation to utilize some of the abandoned properties. The procedure was initially confined to five of these locations which are already in operation.The sign plan for these properties involved the use of structures made out of recyclable materials such as wooden crates and scaffolds, which were innovatively assembled to create aesthetic appeal, in order to be transformed into community activity centers that serve a designated function.
Shops and businesses are abandoned in the city centre. Public amenities and facilities fall into disrepair. Subsequently the town’ s image is altered and with every aspect of life in decline there is a sense of discontinuity in the fabric of urban society.
Under these circumstances social renewal cannot occur unless the members of the community develop relations based on trust while sharing a collective spirit in their everyday life.
The aim of this project therefore is to set in motion existing social and community networks as well as create new ones.
We initially compiled a list of the town’s utilities and the abandoned locations in the centre of Chania. We subsequently composed a questionnaire in order to pinpoint the current needs of the town citizens and what was lacking. One key question was their willingness to volunteer their skills and services and become actively involved in the program.The young graduates of Chania were considered the most suitable subjects for this operation as they are at transitional stage and in the process of resetting their goals. We investigated their viewpoints regarding our main query: How this network would be structured, what functions it could serve, where it would be accommodated ,how it could be developed. We created a scenario of community participation to utilize some of the abandoned properties. The procedure was initially confined to five of these locations which are already in operation.The sign plan for these properties involved the use of structures made out of recyclable materials such as wooden crates and scaffolds, which were innovatively assembled to create aesthetic appeal, in order to be transformed into community activity centers that serve a designated function.
