UCLG ASPAC, UN-Habitat and the Surabaya City Government will embark on a unique public space project to be held in Surabaya, Indonesia, early this year. ‘Block by Block’ is the first of its kind, a unique project compared to so many others, due to the participatory nature in which local communities have the opportunity to contribute to the public space design process.
What makes ‘Block by Block’ even more special is the way the consultation with the community is carried out. In collaboration with the company ‘Mojang’ –the creator of the computer game ‘Minecraft,’ this game will allow community members to use virtual ‘digital interlocking toy bricks” to construct their own public space designs during a three-day workshop, which will be held early next month. The designs are then consolidated and presented to local authorities for the final implementation or construction.
Surabaya is chosen as the pilot model in Indonesia for two reasons. First, the city puts a high priority on environment management. Second, it will be the host for the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) 3 of Habitat III Conference. As a showcase, the public space project is planned to be launched during the PrepCom 3 meeting in July 2016. We look forward to the full implementation of this project that empowers local communities in the public space development process!
