26-11-2020 // WE ARE ON FIRE

 

• Esther, VANTOT

• Matheo, resident of Victoriapark Lighting

• Joris, resident of Victoriapark Lightning

• Susan, Public Library

• Steven Dings, resident of Victoriapark Lighting

• Claudia, Stichting Jongerenhuiskamer

Our Facebook post is successful: we have already received a number of responses from both international and national residents. Tuesday we had a conversation with the first resident who responded. Yesterday and today we had three more conversations. In general, we work out all conversations in such a way that we do not forget or overlook important information. Especially, if we want to look back at a later time. We have more and more conversations, which will mean that we will have to spend even more time working out the conversations. That is why we have decided to shorten the details of the discussions from next week onwards. We take notes during every online meeting and every offline meeting we take notes afterward. This means that we can always find the information back, but will no longer describe it extensively in the blog. However, this blog will still be quite long; we had the pleasure to talk to five different stakeholders in the past two days.

*No time to read the whole blog? scroll down to the conclusion for the most striking insights*

VANTOT

Esther is one of the founders of VANTOT, the company behind the Sunseeker that is installed in the Victoriapark. It took a while, due to personal circumstances, but we were finally able to talk to Esther yesterday. While we thought the Sunseeker would have been government-funded, that's not quite the case. The municipality did not have much budget, so VANTOT eventually received a subsidy from the province. A ‘Wijkinfo’ informed the neighborhood about the installation. The corresponding QR code was often scanned, according to Esther. she had the feeling that the Sunseeker was finally bringing something positive to the neighborhood. The Sunseeker’s pilot was installed last week. Esther is very curious about how the neighborhood reacts to it. Is it something for the future when the (new) park is there? Does the Sunseeker create a safer feeling (due to the amount of light)?

The conversation with Esther was very open; we both felt that we could share everything in this conversation, both positive and negative. Esther is also not a direct stakeholder; we do not need to map out Esther's needs, Esther is just like us looking at how livability can be improved in this neighborhood. It was precise because the conversation was so open that we decided to share with Esther what we had heard so far. It is not that people see the Sunseeker as something negative, on the contrary, but they do wonder why it is possible to install the Sunseeker, but it is not possible to maintain the park and remove the pile of sand, for example. Esther fully understands us and the stakeholders; she also sees that the neighborhood is deteriorating. That is why she too wants to see how livability can be improved. She said she might want to place a bench close to the Sunseeker, so that people can gather there and have a conversation. We immediately indicated that the Huiskamer also has a similar idea. Yet we also asked her: is a bench close to the Sunseeker something the stakeholders in this neighborhood want? 

She explained how she thinks about the situation in the Emmasingelkwadrant and why she comes up with ideas for this neighborhood. De Huiskamer came up with an idea about a bench. Such an idea is made up, but nobody takes the responsibility for actually implementing it. That is how she feels about the whole situation: it is not clear at all who does what, how they do it, and what they actually do. Various parties are involved in this area, but who ultimately takes action? It feels like an area that no one is paying attention to. When she looks at this neighborhood, it actually looks like a deprived neighborhood; almost everything is not maintained when it comes to the public space.

The Sunseeker is of high quality. It could be the start of a better neighborhood. Esther mentioned the idea of ​​creating a garden around the Sunseeker. We indicated that almost every stakeholder we spoke to also indicated that they would like to have the public area (‘park’) around the Sunseeker renovated. So people can have for example a picnic there. A garden can bring positivity. At the moment it actually looks strange; the Sunseeker is supposed to be something beautiful but is located in a neighborhood that is not maintained at all. In addition, the heap of sand that lies there, the heap of sand that many stakeholders referred to as a bottleneck, is polluted. Esther has investigated the ground and it turned out that sand is very polluted. At the moment children are still playing on it; something that is actually very bad.

According to Esther, not only the municipality benefits from maintaining the area, but also the project developers. Residents can complain about the plans of the project developers. That is why it is a strange situation: both the municipality and the project developers benefit from satisfying the stakeholders in the area, but both do not. It is a power game that involves a lot of money. But what Esther is wondering: this area is in the middle of the center, how come it looks like this? Why do you allow this? In addition, expectations are created from the municipality that they sometimes cannot even fulfill. This also emerged more often in the discussions we have had with stakeholders. Concerning the Sunseeker, the municipality wanted to put the exact dates of installment and the opening in the 'Wijkinfo'. Something Esther didn't think was smart; if you make promises, you have to fulfill them. They did not know at that time whether these promises could be fulfilled.

Esther still wants to organize an opening of the Sunseeker. In addition, the Sunseeker has many possibilities. Esther indicated that we were also allowed to test something when it fits our project. Esther indicated at the end of the conversation that a garden might be 'better' than a bench; that really fits the needs of the people in this area. In addition, you do not force people to stop and sit in the garden, but it may make people curious. Esther hopes to receive feedback and talk to people about the Sunseeker and the neighborhood. We told Esther about the meeting we want to organize with various stakeholders from the neighborhood. We have invited Esther to attend. Different perspectives can make the meeting very valuable. Esther was enthusiastic and would love to participate and gather input for and about the neighborhood.

MATHEO

Yesterday evening we spoke with Matheo, an international resident of the Victoriapark Lighting. He lives here already a few years and is not planning to leave soon. Matheo likes this area: it is close to everything, there are nice coffee shops downstairs and the supermarket is close by. Yet he also mentioned a few bottlenecks. Matheo also started talking about the garbage containers that are too full. However, he thinks that sometimes the garbage containers are not full, but that people put their garbage next to the containers because they have forgotten their pass, for example. Matheo also started talking about the public space, the 'park'. Matheo would like to sit in the public space, enjoy the open air and liveliness. At the moment little is being done and the 'park' is not maintained, but it could be a nice place to sit in the summer. Benches would therefore also be appreciated by Matheo. He also came up with the idea of drawings on the walls of the buildings that will be demolished; that can make the neighborhood nicer until the developments start. The neighborhood does attract a number of people who do not belong here, but that is not his biggest concern.

We were actually very curious whether Matheo knows where to go if he would like to talk about the neighborhood, have ideas, or even complaints. Matheo indicated that he did not know who to approach when he had ideas or something like that. Matheo would like to attend regular meetings about the neighborhood if he knew who to contact. He indicates that he thinks that almost all international people encounter this. He also came up with the idea to create flyers, so that people know what we are doing. He would personally find it very valuable if something came out of the conversations we have. We also asked Matheo if he knows anything about the developments going on in the area. Matheo indicated that he knew little about the developments; he is rarely updated. Yet he is not surprised: a municipality is always slow. The way he said this, made us realize that he has little faith in the municipality.

Since Matheo plans to live here for a long time, he would like to discuss the possibilities of the neighborhood with other interested parties. Matheo mentioned some concrete ideas during our conversation, such as a food market, events that are easily accessible for internationals, and sports activities when the field is maintained again. He cares about the neighborhood, wants to get to know new people in the neighborhood, and would like to think along about improving livability in this area.

JORIS

Right after Matheo we had a meeting planned with Joris. Joris is also a resident of the Victoriapark Lighting. Joris is from the Netherlands and has been living in this apartment for 2.5 years now. He likes the area; the station is close by, everything you need is around the corner, and although his apartment is in the middle of the city, this part of the center is quiet due to the surrounding buildings.

In general, we ask everyone how they experience the neighborhood. In some conversations, the emphasis is on the negative. Of course, we try to steer it in such a way that stakeholders also mention the positive and we also try to end the conversations positively by letting people express their desires and ideas. In addition, we ensure that we do not create expectations; in every conversation, we mention that we have a facilitating role, so we are not going to be the one who will organize an event in the open space. What we do, however, is trying to bring people together and see where needs correspond or differ completely. The conversations are therefore very varied: for some the frustrations are high, some are passive, and others focus mainly on the positive. Joris is such a person. He immediately stated that he could start talking about the garbage containers that are too full (a problem that returns in almost every conversation), but he wanted to focus on the positive.

The area is fairly quiet if you compare it to the rest of the center. That is why the park can be so nice; a green area where people can gather, especially in the summer. At the moment it is mainly young people and students who occasionally sit there. Once it is better maintained, it will be the perfect place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Yet Joris mentions that he is now also using it sometimes, even if it doesn't look too good. According to Joris there is some nuisance in the area and around the park, but according to Joris that is normal. You live in the center, so you can expect nuisance from time to time. If you are looking for real peace and quietness, you should live in a village and not in the center of a city. According to Joris, the Lichtplein is poorly maintained (an extension of the park), there is a parking space next to the park that you can see when you look through the window of your apartment (not a really nice view) and there are bicycles everywhere. Yet, Joris is also positive: eventually, the Lichtplein will be renovated, the parking lot will be removed and bicycles are simply difficult to organize. In the short term, Joris would appreciate it if attention is paid to the park; then it becomes a beautiful environment where you want to be.

Joris does not necessarily feel the need to get to know other people in his building. However, everyone is very nice to each other. The moment something will be organized with and for the neighborhood, he would like to get in touch with people from the neighborhood, but it is not a direct need.

Joris also indicates that he does not really know where he should go when he wants to talk about the livability of this neighborhood. He feels that mainly the older people in the neighborhood are united, and the young people and students are not. Joris does indicate that he knows roughly what is going on in the neighborhood in terms of developments, but that is largely due to his background in spatial planning. Otherwise, he would not have known, he says. Joris mentioned that they have been informed about the Sunseeker. Joris doesn't really have an opinion about the Sunseeker; it's just a pilot.

His greatest need at the moment is (the improvement of) the park. He would also like it if something would be organized, such as a Silent Disco. Last year the Emmasingelkwadrant was also part of the GLOW route, which was also great according to Joris. Joris would like to think along about what is possible in public space and how things can come about in this neighborhood. That is why we will also invite Joris to the session that we are going to organize.

PUBLIC LIBRARY

Today we spoke with Susan. Susan is responsible for the organization of the events of the Public Library, which is adjacent to the Lichtplein. Last summer, Susan had several ideas, unfortunately, these ideas could not take place because of Corona. She wanted to organize a number of events in the public space of the Emmasingelkwadrant. The biggest problem of the library is the space; outside would be a good alternative to facilitate more people.

As always, we have explained the approach of our project. In addition, we have clearly indicated that we will not be the one who will organize events but will be the ones who bring stakeholders together, map out the various needs and to see how we can create a sustainable connection in a form to be determined. Susan says she is not in direct contact with many people in the neighborhood and/or entrepreneurs. She has several ideas but thinks it's a good idea if we first try to identify the needs of stakeholders in this area. We indicated that the information provision is seen as a bottleneck for a number of stakeholders. Susan responded that it might be interesting to organize an information market where various entrepreneurs and organizations from the neighborhood will be. The library, but also the municipality, so that they can provide the inhabitants of the area with information. While this is already a concrete idea and we don't want to focus too much on the concrete yet, it is an idea to keep in mind. 

The library stays in contact with people via email, the website, and social media. Being socially active is not necessarily their importance; the library wants to be seen as a kind of living room, so easily accessible. Still, she would be open to organize something. For example, to recruit new members and to introduce people to the library. This also applies to the people of De Huiskamer; people, especially the older people, are ‘scared’ of these people even though they don't even know them. That gives an unsafe feeling. It would be great if people could be brought into contact with each other.

Susan would like to get to know other stakeholders in the area so that she knows better what is going on and can respond to the needs of the residents. That is why it is also interesting for Susan to be present at the meeting we will organize. The library has no immediate need when it comes to livability in this area, but it is interesting to know what is going on. Susan has also indicated that we are welcome to, for example, set up a table in the library where we can come into contact with people. It is great that we are getting more and more opportunities to speak to and approach stakeholders.

As a tip, she mentioned ‘Centrum voor de Kunsten’. They organized a kind of exposition to stimulate curiosity. If people came to the exposition, the creators started talking about the subject they wanted to gain input and knowledge about. This is something we can do as well. 

STEVEN

Tonight we spoke to Steven. Steven is a Dutch resident of the Victoriapark Lighting. Steven is linked to spatial developments through his studies, which is why he found it interesting to talk to us. He mainly had a fairly professional view of the situation. He did not necessarily share his own needs but looked at the situation from different sides. Starting with the park, a theme that is mentioned in almost every conversation. It looks not maintained, an opinion Steven shares. The field (park) does not radiate anything, so people do not have the necessity to use it. He also believes that something can easily be done to make it more attractive, including placing benches. It is not a need that he has by definition, but he knows that there is a need. What we have heard from the Regentekwartier so far is that the benches are actually causing nuisance. Still, Steven thinks that these people think problem-avoiding; he thinks that benches can actually create more liveliness in the park, which would ultimately also reduce nuisance. It will then attract the 'good' people and not the people who should not be there. At the moment Steven does not walk across the Lichtplein at night, just to avoid ‘hassle’. The moment the neighborhood starts to be more lively, the people who don't belong here are also more likely to stay away.

Steven is already looking to the future: A park where people come together, where there is a lot of greenery and the possibility to do various sports activities. Various pop-ups events, cultural events, or movie nights are also things that appeal to him.

Steven feels that people don't want to be involved. This sounded like prejudice to us; as the conversation progressed, we explained the value of involvement and indicated quite a few people who want to be involved but do not know how. Steven came back to his statement. Steven is convinced that people want to get together when there is an initiative, but initiative is difficult, especially in these times. If he looks to the building where he lives, Holland2Stay should actually play a key role in connecting people, but they don't want/do that. Steven does see opportunities to bring people together around the theme of livability; if we do that, some things can really be possible, he thinks. A community that may be created is then the responsibility of the residents, but the municipality may play a facilitating role, especially when it comes to the interpretation of specific spaces. He is not very active in this himself, but he would be interested in participating, precisely because it suits his interests and studies.

STICHTING JONGERENHUISKAMER

In the meantime, we have had more extensive contact with Claudia from Stichting Jongerenhuiskamer. De Huiskamer was one of the four stakeholders that we had chosen to approach first. We wanted to build on the existing connections that De Huiskamer has. Still, it was quite difficult: as mentioned earlier, the Huiskamer was quite skeptical. There have often been students and other parties who tried to improve the quality of life in the Emmasingelkwadrant in some way. However, the Huiskamer received little feedback and little was done with the input they had given. It, therefore, took us some effort to give the Huiskamer the feeling that we are really going to try to do something with their input and that their input can be valuable.

 

The Huiskamer is currently creating a meeting place in the Victoria Park. According to them, there is a need for this from both visitors of the Huiskamer and the local residents. They want to create a living room in the open air; a bench to facilitate conversations between refugees, local residents, and passers-by. This bench is adopted by refugees, local residents, and those involved. Every week someone else will adopt the bench. The person who will adopt the bench devises a theme in advance for the time that he or she is in charge of the bench. A theme could be: drinking coffee together, making music on the bench, having lunch on the bench, speed dating, etc.

 

Refugees who visit the Huiskamer would like to talk to others (local residents), in this way they get more perspective, learn the language, and perhaps most importantly: get to know people from the neighborhood. The Huiskamer and their target group also have a need for sports and games. The Huiskamer is thinking of playing basketball or football. The volleyball net that hangs in the Victoria park is well used by local residents and their target group. The refugees, therefore, want (more) nice places where they can meet.

 

In the context of: "who to contact next", Claudia indicated that we could approach the residents' committees of surrounding buildings. We could also approach residents of Willemstraat. This can be done via Petra van Kessel from Woonbedrijf.

CONCLUSION

There are a number of things that come up in every conversation. For example, several stakeholders indicate that the containers are too full and/or the waste is not properly thrown into the containers. In addition, everyone would appreciate it if the park is maintained and becomes a place where people can come together. Although we hear conflicting sounds about benches in the park, we have also heard a different point of view on the situation. one group of stakeholders indicates that the benches cause nuisance, another group of stakeholders wants benches to enjoy the outdoors, and today a stakeholder indicated that benches can actually help reduce nuisance. The moment the park becomes more lively with local residents, it may also attract fewer people that the neighborhood should not attract. The reason people come here now who shouldn't be here is because the neighborhood has not been maintained.

Something that strikes us, and what Susan of the library also indicated, is that mainly stakeholders in the Regentekwartier experience nuisance. According to some of them, the nuisance is related to the Huiskamer; they are the ones who cause the nuisance or attract people who cause the nuisance. It may be a matter of meeting each other; at the moment the various stakeholder groups have little or no contact. The moment they get to know each other, there could be more mutual understanding. In addition, this is also a need of the visitors of the Huiskamer; come into contact with other stakeholders from the neighborhood.

The neighborhood looks like a ‘deprived’ area in the middle of the center. There are several parties that want to contribute to improving the quality of life in this area, but it is unclear who is taking which action and whether action is being taken at all. This is also radiated to the stakeholders: the stakeholders in this area have no idea who is doing what and receive little feedback when they provide input. We have heard several times already. In addition, the provision of information is minimal: stakeholders, mainly international people, and young people do not know who to contact for any ideas, complaints or when they want to participate in discussions about the liveability of the Emmasingelkwadrant.

There is generally little trust in the municipality. Next Tuesday we will give a presentation to those involved in the municipality of Eindhoven. During this presentation, we will mainly focus on the pain points. Not because we don't want to look at the positive, but because we first want to ‘wake up’ the municipality before we take further steps. We tried to focus on both positive and negative points in the conversations, but the negative points predominated in these initial conversations. At the moment, we think it is important to let the municipality realize what is going on in this neighborhood in order to actually take action and take steps together with the stakeholders in the area. In these conversations, it was also indicated that a flyer could be a good way to reach other stakeholders. Since this has been indicated before, we will also continue to develop a flyer. We will put this flyer in all mailboxes of the people in the Emmasingelkwadrant and see if we can come into contact with more stakeholders that want to contribute to the liveability in this area.