Hasta La Ideas

Promotion: a project spanning several European countries has explored how it can empower small and remote places by transforming underutilised public spaces.

The research project, called Smoties, sought to create a useable framework for creatives in remote communities in making such places more liveable, drawing upon residents, policy-makers and other local organisations.

The research produced the Smoties Toolbox, functioning as a methodological framework, guide and tools to help revitalise community interaction in spaces across Europe.

Austrian university FH Joanneum worked alongside nine research groups in Milan, London, Ljubljana, or Reykjavik, which in turn worked closely with communities in small and remote places local to them, such as Apano Meria in Greece, Penmachno in Wales, Joaveski in Estonia or Estreito da Calheta in Madeira, Portugal.

They developed a set of tools and prototypes which feature formats for workshops, masterclasses and a broader methodology to support others looking to transform underused spaces, and are free to download.

The goal behind the project said they wanted to use design methods to address the growing problem across Europe of fragmentation within and across communities, neglected towns and loneliness.

Research project started as a cooperation between 10 project partners in 2020 and was co-funded by the “Creative Europe” programme of the European Union.

The idea is to create a replicable design framework to revive small and often hard to reach places by making them more liveable, dynamic and creating social cohesion across different communities.

A network of design, art and architecture universities, research centres, creative agencies as well as local communities and public officials have been drawn upon as part of the Smoties project.

The researchers at FH Joanneum selected a town called Oberzeiring with just 500 residents as its case study.

The former silver mining town has seen its population shrink and impacted with poor transport links, a car-oriented society and no obvious common spaces.

The Smoties project sought to temporarily alter the design of its centre by limiting car access, creating urban furnishings and a pedestrian friendly festival space.

“This transformation highlights the power of creative collaboration to revitalize even the smallest communities,” said Anke Strittmatter, architect, urbanist and associate professor at University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum.

“As a result of the Smoties project in Austria, Oberzeiring’s officials and stakeholders are now exploring options to make this change permanent, with the goal of restoring the square as a central, car-free public space for the community to enjoy,” Strittmatter added.

Teachers and students from the Institute of Design & Communication at FH Joanneum worked with the local residents to revitalise the square and implement a car-free weekend, when the space was temporarily transformed into a festival.

The project partners were University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum in Austria; the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano in Italy; Cité du Design, Ecole Supérieure d’Art et de Design in France; Clear Village Trustee Limited in the UK; Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia; Estonian Association of Designers; University of the Aegean, Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering in Greece; Zamek Cieszyn in Poland; Universidade da Madeira, Art & Design Department in Portugal; and Alternance slf in Iceland.

For more information on the research and the framework, visit the Smoties website here.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for FH Joanneum as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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