Port Erin Commissioners approached me to help them with engagement regarding their future plan of creating a new public space in the seaside village. I designed a set of activities in two phases; the first pop-up, survey and children's design competition were not connected to a specific area in the village. Often when discussing a specific location, the answers are full of worries about change. I wanted to avoid this and collect answers about attitudes towards public spaces in general.

In the second part, I introduced the area and the first activity was the pizza pop-up addressed to teenagers. I collected a lot of fun ideas, and they were more open to changes and bold moves than an average respondent.

Followed by an installation that turned into a pop-up I collected opinions and ideas from all ages of respondents in Port Erin.

Read further for a brief summary of each activity and the final report.

A street pop-up in front of Port Erin Railway Station was the first activity based on dialogue. It took place on the morning of 28th Feb. and the afternoon of 1st March 2023.

We had two prepared activities and collected information from talking to people who joined. Some concerns and ideas were focused on the future public space, while others pointed out existing issues of Port Erin.

I spoke to about 30 people in the age range 30-50 and some older.

A public place for all generations is flexible and works as an event venue (bands, cinema, carnival, market) but is also a safe and accessible relaxing place where one can read a book in the sun. People see a public space as a colourful meeting place with benches and some sheltered areas to hide from the rain, wind and seagulls.

The survey was active from February to April 2023. We collected 210 responses, the most from the commissioner’s posts and website. The survey link was posted on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and advertised.

The majority of people who joined the survey live in Port Erin, about 65%.

The third activity, this time addressed to the younger audience, was a design art competition. The task was to design your ideas square using any tools.

We had submissions from schools and some individual ones as well. It is obvious how the local children have no experience with what a square is.

Designs that followed a traditional square style were heavily inspired by the Market Square in Castletown, portraying ping pong tables, piano or deckchairs.

We wanted to gather information from teenagers as well. Inspired by successful consultations in many European cities, the main attraction was food. In this case, pizza… and pizza pop-up.

Altogether, we talked to about 20 teenagers and older children. It was a successful exercise with many clear outcomes.

Respondents talked about places where they could meet up with their friends, a place that would be meant for them. Many came from the park, where they liked the swings and different play elements. These provide the opportunity to be restless while having a conversation with your friends. Large swings or hammocks are becoming very popular in public spaces for adults or teenagers.

It was nice to see that during the pop-up attended by the older generation, many people mentioned amenities for teenagers, and teenagers also mentioned calmer places for older people. They also wanted the option to have some privacy when talking to their friends, so division features could be a good way to define the space.

One of the girls I spoke to was curious about what was behind the door and came up with a fun idea that a mural of an alien would add a touch of mystery to the place. She drew an alien, and you can see it edited and used in my illustration.

The last activity was similar to the interactive installation we did in Castletown the previous year.

This installation was held in the waiting room of the railway station and had a map with post-its, markers and colouring sheets, posters to vote on different entrances to the selected area, a suggestion box and an exhibition of winning proposals from the design competition.

Some discussed the given area, but many talked generally about Port Erin. The map was full of notes after the first few days. These were all collected and later divided into categories.