The implementation of the Design Charrette involved Karang Taruna Kopo, officials of RW 07 Kopo Village, WRI Indonesia, and ASF Indonesia as organizers.

Through this activity, 32 participants who were children from RW 07 Kopo Village received education about good gardens and identified the shape of their dream garden.

"Our project in Kopo Bandung aims to transform an abandoned park into an active and enjoyable public space," said the head of the activity, Abhi Kurniawan (Master’s Program in Urban Design, 2022).

The agenda for the first session focused on identifying children's activities in parks. The facilitator provides writing equipment and explains the rules of the game. Activities that the children liked are written or drawn on paper and attached to the garden plan. Next, participants were invited to walk to the RW 07 Hall, accompanied by facilitators.

Then, the second session, which was held at Hall RW 07, Kopo Village, was filled with listening to puppet stories about good parks. The third session is time for the children to draw their dream garden with the help of the facilitator.

They were asked to describe the facilities, plants, and activities they would like to see in the park. After drawing, children describe their dream garden according to the picture created.

In the final session, the children were asked to write down the activities they expected to have at Park RW 07. The facilitator prepared small paper flags and mock-ups of Park RW 07. Each child wrote the activities or facilities they wanted on the paper flags. Next, each group stuck a paper flag on the garden mock-up and explained briefly.

Abhi revealed that the biggest challenge in this project was how to carry out the participatory garden design process with the children in Kopo in a way that was fun and at the same time we were able to provide an in-depth understanding of the design preferences desired by the children.

With this activity, it is hoped that the community can find out and explore what children (as the main users of parks in the Kopo area) want and need. After involving children in the participatory design charrette, the next step is to involve parents in the design charrette activity, to gain understanding and preferences from an adult's perspective regarding the park. "We will integrate the results of the children's participatory design charrette and the adult design charrette into one comprehensive design," said Abhi.

This design will be the basis for the implementation of the park construction, turning it from previously neglected into an active and enjoyable park and public space for the children and people of Kopo.

"As a follow-up, we plan to maintain the sustainability of this program by continuously involving the community in the maintenance and development of the park, ensuring that this public space continues to provide positive benefits for the entire community," Abhi concluded.

Reporter: Hafsah Restu Nurul Annafi (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota 2019)
Translator: Ayesha Lativa Mafaza (Postharvest Technology 2021)