Community Planning: Methods
Video soapbox
- description
- more detail
- more pictures
Video soapboxes allow members of the public to broadcast their opinions on video screens erected in public places. They are particularly useful for generating public interest and debate for high profile events such as a roadshow.
The basic technology required is a video camera, a projection facility and a screen. These can be used independently or incorporated into a special construction to make a prominent street feature (as illustrated ).
People are filmed making comments on an issue and these are projected for public viewing. This can be done simultaneously, or facilities can be included to allow for editing and captioning (see mther pictures).
Video tapes can be kept for future screenings and can be analysed as a survey of public opinion.
Photocredits
Building Design 09.04.98, Hammersmith, London, 1998, Architecture Foundation.
Building Design 09.04.98, Hammersmith, London, 1998, Architecture Foundation.
Public viewpoint
A resident's comments on the state of the local area are screened prominently in a shopping street. Passers-by can add their views to the debate by stepping into one the converted telephone booths, picking up the handset and pressing 'record'.
Tips
- Video is a great medium for getting people to participate. Young people especially often find it more comfortable than meetings for expressing ideas and opinions.
- Make sure the nature of any group is clearly understood. It is always worth writing down 'terms of reference' setting out a group's purpose, powers, accountability, funding, meeting schedules, and so on.
- Video footage of local neighbourhoods and community planning activity, preferably edited, can be useful for sponsors or decision-makers who may not be able to visit at the right moments. They can bring a funding application to life.
Costs
- Basic video equipment can be bought for a few hundred dollars although editing equipment is more expensive. Education establishments often have facilities which can be used. Elaborate constructions like the one illustrated cost thousands of dollars but provide good opportunities for sponsorship. The one shown was paid for by a telephone company.
Design details
Four telephone boxes are modified for people to record their views. Each booth contains a telephone handset which triggers the automatic video recording programme. Simple written and spoken operating instructions are provided. The scaffold tower above has a message board using moving text to invite the public to participate, a light cube with images relevant to the issue being considered and a back projection video screen on which the recorded messages are projected.
Youth speaks
Photocredits
Building Design 09.04.98, Hammersmith, London, 1998, Architecture Foundation.
Building Design 09.04.98, Hammersmith, London, 1998, Architecture Foundation.
Thanks: Example shown designed by Alex de Rijke as part of an Axchitecture Foundation Roadshow. Illustration and screen shots courtesy of Building Design