Public Engagement Persona Exercise

During the session, we had the task of going into groups where one person would present their masterplan and the rest of the group would provide their thoughts on the development from the perspective of the persona that we decided at the start of the semester. We were then put into new groups where a different person would present their masterplan, and we repeated this process until each studio group's masterplan had sufficient feedback.

My persona was that of a 30 year-old homeless man that has been sleeping rough for a few months with his dog. I raised questions on how the masterplans tackled feelings of safety and whether my persona's presence would mean that other users did not feel safe. I asked which areas of their masterplan they thought my persona would spend a lot of time in, and if there were public bathrooms present on the site or whether they are located in the different uses i.e. restaurants, cafés, other public spaces that might not welcome my persona.

Notes from the exercise:

My group's proposed masterplan:

Key moves of our masterplan include highlighting St Peter's church as the heart of the site by creating boulevards that draw people towards it and provide views of the church from the western edge of the site. We have incorporated a range of uses that will be active throughout all hours of the day and night, which will increase the feeling of safety. The aspect of water is not obvious when standing on site as it is, therefore we have proposed stepped seating by the waterfront as well as a floating structure on the water, and we intend to play with the different levels of the buildings to utilise views of the water. In order to encourage walking and cycling, we have prioritised pedestrians by making the road surface a shared space exclusively for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

Feedback on my studio group's masterplan:

- 70 year-old retired man would visit the markets for food and then sit on the stepped seating to eat and read. He was concerned about crossing the roads/shared space and the steepness of the ramps as he requires a walking stick and a hearing aid. He spends a lot of time around St Peters and would want to be away from loud places and areas that are too busy, therefore he appreciates the addition of a public library.

- UOB student who lives in the city centre and cycles everywhere appreciates the shared space and the prioritising of pedestrians and cyclists. He would also enjoy the addition of the public library.

- 45 year-old single woman with two children who is career focused and lives by the harbourside thinks that her children would enjoy the site. She would like to know what age the playground is suitable for and where she would sit if she wants to have a cup of coffee while her children play.

- 40 year-old male lecturer at UWE who walks and cycles everywhere, especially late at night would want to know if there is street lighting around the site. He would also like to know what time the community centre closes.

- 50 year-old male volunteer gardener was not very happy about the sensory garden being removed and replaced with a library, and would like to know why.

- 38 year-old professional who lives in Longwell Green and commutes via bus to work in a law firm at Queens Square thinks that there is a lack of green space in the development and likes the nightclub as well as the cultural and community centre.

This exercise was very useful as it made me think about smaller decisions that could have a large impact on particular people. For example, the mother that would like a place to sit while her children are in the park. This makes me think of how the urban environment can impact your enjoyment of a place. Is it enough to just provide benches? Should the benches have shelter? What if we place a café adjacent to the park? This could then be good for the local economy as well as attract more visitors to the park. If there are then more visitors, would this mean that another café opens in competition?

I think that this exercise also emphasised the importance of designing urban spaces with the human perspective in mind and not getting carried away with the geometry in plan. This was highlighted when the 70 year-old retiree voiced his concerns about his limited mobility. This calls into question how accessible the outdoor seating feature is (7) and whether seating should be provided elsewhere on site.