Place Standart Workshop is held in Antalya

The workshop entitled Place Standard took place in the scope of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network National Network Coordinators Meeting which was held on 24 April 2018 in Antalya.

Following the WHO Masterclass 2017 workshop entitled Healthy People and Healthy Places in the WHO European Region, which was organized together with NHS Health Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, a Place Standard was defined to support activities on places within the network. After the Masterclass, cities and the national networks have shown a keen interest in advancing these studies in their own environment. A part of such studies on the concept of the place was carried out in Antalya during the annual meeting of WHO European National Healthy Cities Network.

John Howie and Etive Anne Currie from NHS Health Scotland guided the Place Standard Workshop. Almost 20 participants including the National Network Coordinators of Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Russia, Sweden and Turkey as well as the WHO experts and the Network’s Advisory Board members attended the workshop.

One day before the workshop, participants were given information about the contents of the workshop and visit routes and the places to be visited were determined, for which participants gave scores based on various criteria in the place standard. In the first part of the workshop, the local overview of Antalya, the documents of the place standard workshop and the workshop instructions were discussed. Then the participants, who were divided into groups, scored the visited places using the workshop guidebook. Within the scope of the workshop, participating groups noted what they liked and disliked about the places they visited, their ideas on the required changes, what kind of solutions could be developed for the identified problems, what was missing, what was complete. Using the scores given and the notes taken, charts related to the visited places were drawn. Scores were given in the following categories which were identified as priority issues in the workshop on place standard:

• feeling of influence and control,
• mobility,
• mass transportation,
• traffic and parking areas,
• streets and parks,
• natural areas,
• playgrounds and recreation areas,
• facilities and amenities,
• business and local economy,
• housing and communication,
• social interaction,
• identity and the sense of belonging,
• feeling of safety,
• treatment and care.

The following questions about the categories above were asked to the groups:

• For the category of feeling of influence and control: Can I be a part of the decisions taken? and can I steer the required changes for the better?
• As for the category of the mobility: Can I walk easily around and ride my bicycle on the neat and designated roads?
• As for the category of the public transportation: Does the public transportation meet my needs?
• As for the category of the traffic and parking areas: Does the traffic and parking arrangements meet the needs of the community by allowing the people to move around safely?
• As for the category of the streets and parks: Are buildings, streets and public spaces attractive areas in terms of easy accessibility?
• As for the category of the natural areas: Do I have access to natural areas of adequate quality on a regular basis?
• As for the category of the playgrounds and the recreational areas: Do I have access to playgrounds and the recreational areas and the opportunities around?
• As for the category of the facilities and amenities: Do facilities and amenities meet my needs?
• As for the category of the business and local economy: Is there an active local economy? Are there opportunities for accessing to qualified work?
• As for the category of the housing and communication category: Do the surrounding houses support the needs of the community?
• As for the category of the social interaction: Are there qualified areas for interaction with people?
• As for the category of the identity and belonging: Does this place have a positive identity? Do I feel myself belonging here?
• As for the category of the feeling of safety: Do I feel safe here?
• As for the category of the treatment and care category: Are the buildings and public spaces well-maintained?

After the groups visited all the places, the discussion tables were set up in the afternoon. Firstly, the groups interpreted the data they collected themselves in the first roundtable session. Within the scope of the workshop on place standard, opinions were exchanged on the issues such as what can provide good results, needs of places for improvement, planning applications, what was missing, and which problems should be solved.

Then, 3 roundtables assessed all the data and graphics obtained at the end of the place standard workshop in groups and shared their opinions and suggestions with the other tables. After the data obtained was analysed by all the participants, the workshop on the place standard ended with the closing speeches.