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MOKAZINE / NO 3 / 2021
socialising.
Gilbert Rochecouste has made it his speciality. He is Telfair’s placemaker. This Mauritian expat who has lived for years in Australia is a leading global expert in the field with an impressive track record – he has undertaken placemaking work for more than
2,000 sites from Dubai to Melbourne. These open and sustainable places create connections and stimulate the local economy.
“Designing liveable cities” has become his mantra
– creating participatory and human-centric cities with a focus on local communities. “Building
a city is not just about building infrastructure and buildings. It’s about creating an urban ambiance,” he says. This involves designing spaces, experiences
and opportunities for interaction.
A square, a park, a street, a market, a café or a bus stop are a few examples. The aim is to create places that benefit everyone
and make each person responsible. This is what the placemaker calls the “community gluepoint”. “It’s about creating the spark that brings the place to life.” In Telfair, this spark can be summarised in five
words, “Celebrating the mix of cultures”, i.e. building on the neighbourhood’s DNA.
This approach is unique in the sense that, “It’s a co- construction. The starting point is the experience and needs of the users. This
is even the cornerstone
of placemaking: citizen involvement.” That’s because “beloved places are more successful. And there are no better stakeholders than those who live and work there to bring a neighbourhood to life.”.
Gilbert Rochecouste was born in Mauritius and has grown up in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. After a spell in Minneapolis, USA, where he worked for the largest mall in North America, he returned to Melbourne to create Village Well. Thirty years later, it has become a prominent placemaking consulting firm in the country.
bigger picture
Placemaking
or the art of creating connected places
Placemaking is the art of creating desirable destinations to live in that are connected to their surrounding areas, and where everyone feels at home and wants to stay. It is about improving the people’s quality of life by working with and for them to create places for