HeritACT Project in Ballina
Date: 16-05-2024
On the 14th of May 2024, the community came together at Ballina Library for a Geodesign workshop organised by HeritACT, a European-funded initiative dedicated to revitalising cultural heritage through participatory processes and community engagement.
The project aims to create a toolkit for involving local populations in design processes, with pilot tests in three locations: Milan, Italy; Elefsina, Greece; and Ballina, Ireland.
In Ballina, several culturally significant locations were chosen for revitalisation. The Ballina Library has been designated as the HeritHUB, serving as the central hub for all project activities. Detailed information about HeritACT’s work in Ballina can be found at www.herithub-ballina.eu.
Community engagement began prior to the workshop with a series of online public surveys to gather stories, values, challenges, and opportunities for the town. These insights informed the Geodesign workshop, which saw enthusiastic participation and discussions on a new and improved vision for Ballina.
Participants were divided into groups to evaluate, discuss, and generate ideas related to blue and green infrastructure, energy, recreation, residential issues, business and tourism, mobility, institutions, heritage, and miscellaneous topics. The projects were localised and mapped using the Geodesignhub platform. Each group's proposals were then prioritised and evaluated, resulting in four final visions presented by each group’s spokesperson.
These visions were further assessed using SustainACT, a tool developed by the HeritACT team to measure their potential contribution to sustainability targets, including the New European Bauhaus (NEB), European Green Deal (EGD), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The community is invited to vote on the ideas proposed during the Geodesign workshop at the following link https://www.geodesignhub.com/v/tery/. If you encounter any issues or require additional information, you can visit the HeritACT team at the library up until 17th May 2024.
The second part of the Geodesign workshop will take place on the 21st of May 2024, at the HeritHUB (Ballina Library). Everyone, including those who did not attend the first session, is welcome to join. Please express your interest through this form: https://forms.gle/WRBDz3YUmXp1NNox7
Your contributions are valuable in shaping plans for Ballina's heritage reactivation and conservation. New ideas and opportunities for Ballina can be submitted at the link https://particimap.cartospot.com/map/opportunities-of-ballina/
The HeritACT team looks forward to your participation!