There are always some places in a city where you almost never go to – because why should you if neither you or your friends live there? When you never have a good reason to go, you will never see how the area develops, what is happening there. It is almost like you erase areas in the city from your map of the city in your head.
We usually continue walking the streets we know, saying hi to the neighbours that seem friendly, frankly, we continue doing the the things we are used to always do. There are first when we get to know someone new we might get introduced to a new area in the city where we live – in the city we know so well. But maybe we should not be allowed to brag about how well we know a city before we know all the areas, at least to some extend. A little bit like the board game Trivial Pursuit, where you have to have answered right on at least one question from each category to win. Maybe we should have to be able to answer some questions about each area in our city before we can see ourselves as the best guide ever.
How should we then get to know different areas better? And the people who live so close to us as well? By organising festivals! Well, I don’t think City festivals is the best way to go though, too many people gather in the city centre, the place in a city most people already know – or have the chance to – get to know quite simple. Neighbourhood street festivals are something completely different!
This year, I got the opportunity to see the annual Street Festival in the neighhbourhood Gracía in Barcelona. A festival where neighbours help out to organise and decorate their streets in the most loveliest way by using recycled things as material to create these almost fairytale-like scenes. The different streets have all various themes and they all look amazing, although there is only one street that can win the prize of the best street of the year. The nights before the festival are dedicated to do the last touch to make everything ready before the festival with concerts and other activities starts. The decoration work must be a great way to get to know your neighbours without it having anything to do with house meetings, complains about music volume or something else that is more likely to separate you than to get to know each other better (as long as the collaboration is working ok..). Instead, there is a chance to be creative together and hopefully inspire each other to do other projects that will develop the neighbourhood in a positive direction.
When these kind of events get your attention you might discover an area that has hidden treasures, nice bars and lovely people, things you had no idea about – because the area is usually not included on your personal map of the city. Who knows, maybe you will make some friends who live in the area, or maybe you find out that your own area in the city is where you belong.
Either way, I think it is a good way to get to know your city better, and if there are no Neighbourhood Street Festivals you can visit or organise, there is always the new app Drift (see http://www.brokencitylab.org/drift/) that gives you the chance to get lost and discover new things in an area you already know. So if you have the interest, there is always a way to win the TP game of your city.
spaceupyourlife 