To respond to the critical situation of Area C and in order to improve the resilience of residents of this area, UN-Habitat has introduced Placemaking as a key activity in the program entitled Planning Support to the Palestinian Communities in Area C. Placemaking is an approach to urban design that intends to ensure the creation of valuable qualities within shared spaces based on a bottom-to-top approach. Most of the time, Placemaking is understood merely as an urban design, but there is more to it: Placemaking brings a community together to decide about the design and use of a public space that can be a street or a small or large space in a village, town, or city – not only for large-scale projects and large budgets. In other words, it welcomes collaboration of citizens, professionals, and authorities to design any public place in a way that has meaning. UN-Habitat has applied Placemaking in fourteen localities throughout Area C of the West Bank to help residents develop, design, and create better public spaces that respond to the needs of the local communities in an approach which serves as a tool to support the Palestinian public at large.

 

 

Map and caption courtesy of UN-Habitat.