The aim of this module is to introduce students from a range of disciplines to ideas and issues in placemaking. Placemaking is a collaborative and interdisciplinary way of thinking about place and sustainable development. It is among the emerging methods of thinking and working in social and regional development and regeneration, community building and urban and rural planning. It includes connected and collaborative working and thinking around what makes successful places for living and working. Given that placemaking is based on bringing together several different perspectives on place and development, it is an ideal subject for a broadening module, and will appeal to students from a broad range of disciplinary perspectives. The module will be offered to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as a 6-credit module to undergraduates and a 3-credit programme to postgraduates, with appropriate learning outcomes, teaching and research and assessments for each level. This module is taught via a series of seminars and labs, with readings. The proposed module will be taught by staff from the contributing faculties. Innovative models of teaching, learning and assessment will be built into the module structure. The overall module assessment will be based on the creation of group portfolios and presentations on a key issue relating to placemaking in a specific identified location of their choice, demonstrating collaborative a research approach, relevant research and creative proposals for solutions and ideas for change. The module will consist of a series of seminars, providing students with key information and perspectives on thinking about placemaking and sustainable development from a range of relevant viewpoints, including sociology, urban design, festival and cultural participation, linguistics, geography, economic growth and sustainable community development. These seminars will be provided together with labs that will provide students with skills and perspectives to work collaboratively and proactively, to identify and articulate key issues regarding placemaking, and to creatively and knowledgably propose solutions. The module also promotes social and civic responsibility as it stresses a collaborative and connected approach to creating successful and sustainable places for life and work, rather than devolving responsibility to one particular group or agency. The core seminar areas will include (but are not limited to): • Understanding public space • Building strong communities through participation • Urban design • Language, landscape and public space • Transportation, public space and quality of life • Regeneration and community organising • Cultural participation • Soundscapes and the public environment • Festival, parade and protest in public spaces • Rural public spaces - design and development • Economic development within urban and rural environments • Sustainable development • Building strong relationships between stakeholders in public places • Policy for strong and connected places • Public art, amenities and parks - design and management • Ritual studies and place The core labs will include: • Design thinking - introduction and methodology • Project development and management • Market research • Strategic uses of social media • Project pitching and articulation • Team working and creative project development within teams • Key ideas in social entrepreneurship • Presentation skills (visual, verbal, use of IT resources etc.)

The proposed module is a 3-credit module taught by staff from the contributing faculties. Innovative models of teaching, learning and assessment will be built into the module structure. The overall project assessment will be based on the creation of group portfolios and presentations on a key issue relating to placemaking in a specific identified location of their choice, demonstrating collaborative a research approach, relevant research and creative proposals for solutions and ideas for change. The module will consist of a series of seminars, providing students with key information and perspectives on thinking about placemaking and sustainable development from a range of relevant viewpoints, including sociology, urban design, festival and cultural participation, linguistics, geography, economic growth and sustainable community development. These seminars will be provided together with labs that will provide students with skills and perspectives to work collaboratively and proactively, to identify and articulate key issues regarding placemaking, and to creatively and knowledgably propose solutions. The module also promotes social and civic responsibility as it stresses a collaborative and connected approach to creating successful and sustainable places for life and work, rather than devolving responsibility to one particular group or agency. The core seminar areas will include (but are not limited to): • Understanding public space • Building strong communities through participation • Urban design • Language, landscape and public space • Transportation, public space and quality of life • Regeneration and community organising • Cultural participation • Soundscapes and the public environment • Festival, parade and protest in public spaces • Rural public spaces - design and development • Economic development within urban and rural environments • Sustainable development • Building strong relationships between stakeholders in public places • Policy for strong and connected places • Public art, amenities and parks - design and management • Ritual studies and place The core labs will include: • Design thinking - introduction and methodology • Project development and management • Market research • Strategic uses of social media • Project pitching and articulation • Team working and creative project development within teams • Key ideas in social entrepreneurship • Presentation skills (visual, verbal, use of IT resources etc.)

Identify and evaluate the key disciplinary approaches relevant to issues in placemaking. Identify and analyse the key texts relevant to the study of placemaking. Locate, evaluate and present information relevant to specific placemaking projects.

Co-operate and integrate different disciplinary perspectives in the development and delivery of placemaking projects. Listen and respond to a range of stakeholder concerns in the development of placemaking projects. Participate in the group development of placemaking projects relating to specific locations.

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This module is taught through a series of labs. The use of discursive seminars and skills-based labs which focus on key transferable skills for creative and collaborative thinking have the capacity to motivate student learning, incorporating project-based, experiential, research-based, or group and team oriented learning dynamics. The initial university sectors involved include The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, the Kemmy Business School, AHSS and SAUL. There is the potential here for blended delivery, through the use of webinars and Skype discussions with key experts elsewhere, as well as building online databases as part of the project work, and participating in chatroom discussions on a relevant platform such as SULIS. Students can also both participate in the module and strategically research their projects via relevant social media channels, which may enable the participation of a broad range of voices and stakeholders outside the university. The assessment for this project will be based on group portfolios and group presentations, which will be delivered verbally to an audience potentially including stakeholders from the areas they have researched. Feedback will be provided at the presentation event as well as a final grade suggested by the module leaders. This method of assessment promotes the key UL graduate attributes for students to be articulate, creative, knowledgeable, collaborative, responsible and proactive. This placemaking module reflects research into this field, evident in the recent MIT Urban Planning report on Placemaking, available here: http://dusp.mit.edu/cdd/project/placemaking, as well as research into social entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary project development.