Maker Projects for Kids Who Love Designing Communities
Bringing Communities together A community is a group of people who share something in common such as living in the same town village or neighborhood Communities share a sense of place which is a strong often emotional connection to an area Larger towns and cities can be made up of many different communities living within their borders Ancient cities often began to grow around marketplaces places of worship and public buildings such as those found in Athens Greece and in Rome Italy Over time plazas became the heart of many communities as places to gather As factories and industries drew more and more people to an area small communities grew into larger cities Automobiles allowed people to move from crowded and polluted city centers into suburbs Communities can be large or small They usually include roads open public areas such as parks public squares and playgrounds residential areas schools and shopping areas The cities and towns in which these communities are found are larger in scale They may also include facilities such as factories community centers and government buildings such as city halls libraries and police and fire stations A three-dimensional 3-D map helps planners to visualize the relationship between the different parts of a community 4
WhaT Is a MAkeR A maker is someone who questions Makers are creative Makers are builders They look for ways to improve existing things or develop totally new things A makerspace is a place where makers can come together to share ideas learn and create Many communities have makerspaces in libraries schools and museums As long as there have been communities there have been makers making things that other people needed Today the people who design communities are makers too Their jobs are to make sure a community works well for the people who live there Balancing open green spaces and high-rise buildings is an important part of community planning in urban areas Be a Maker Makers look at problems in their communities and work to find creative solutions Today many people live in urban areas where they do not have backyards Starting a community garden gives people a public space where they can come together and grow food Where could you start a garden in your neighborhood 5
The Design of a Community Communities are made up of parts Most people look at a community and the first thing they see are the buildings big ones small ones old and new Buildings help create a sense of place but communities do not end there SpaCEs iN PlaCEs Within and around buildings are public spaces These can include squares parks or neighborhood playgrounds These are spaces where people meet up with other people throw a ball or enjoy art or music Public spaces work well when they are well defined yet flexible to the needs of the community Planners must consider people of all ages from young children to the elderly and people of different abilities Union Square in San Francisco California has been a public space since 1850 6
Be a Maker SimCity first introduced in 1989 was the original city-building game Cities Skylines came out in 2015 Like SimCity it allows players to act as mayor and be responsible for public safety to zone land for development and to build streets power grids parks and schools If you had to design a city from scratch using a game what elements would be most important to include Why GetTInG arOuNd Roads connect spaces and places and allow people to move freely from one area to another Pedestrian and cycle paths allow for more active travel Some larger urban centers include rail and subway systems too Community design needs to make sure that everything is connected in a logical and effective way PlaNnINg For YoUr ComMUniTy It takes many people to design and build a community Community planners work with the community to determine how it should grow Environmental planners make sure that important natural features are protected Transportation planners are involved with roads and highways railroads bike paths and sidewalks Other planners might focus on affordable housing promoting businesses creating jobs or protecting historic buildings Planners determine where signs and signals are needed to keep pedestrians cyclists and motorists safe 7
