User-centered design of the Museumpark square
Rotterdam, NL
As a skateboarder and designer, I helped the action group Save Museumpark organize a participatory workshop. Together with a group of urban sports enthusiasts, we created an alternative design for the beloved skate spot next to the Depot. These workshops and their outcomes garnered media attention, highlighting the fact that this group of users had not been sufficiently heard in the municipality’s process. Following this, AIR organized the Skatesymposium, where I conducted two workshops.
Scale: Workshops on the city at eye level and speculative public space design
Client: Own initiative, Municipality of Rotterdam & AIR
Role: Designer, workshop facilitator
Assignment: “What can spatial professionals learn from skateboarders and how do we keep our spot in the city?”
Three groups, led by a table leader, outlined a possible future, cutting and pasting ideas of what the beloved skate spot could have become if the target group had been involved earlier in the process. These three ideas were then brought together into one final design.
To support the initiative, I created a flyer to explain to spatial professionals what they can learn from skateboarders and their perspective on the city.
I was also invited to speak on the radio about the process and my perspective on the topic.
During the Skate Symposium, I led two groups through Rotterdam to show them how we, as skateboarders, view the city.
The final image of our speculative design for the parking deck of the Museumpark, where there is ample space for people to build their own obstacles.
A clear separation is made for skaters, passersby, and those who want to sit in the sun. The square retains its event function, and we’ve added skateable green elements.