Student engagement in placemaking at an Australian university campus

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis research illustrates how stakeholder consultation can influence landscape change at a university campus in South East Queensland, Australia. It investigated the contribution students could make to site re-design using a cost-effective, interactive method inspired by Candy Chang's work. The research found that student engagement elicited specific recommendations to overcome the lack of place attachment in the case study location. Student suggestions to incorporate arts and food-related experiences also have implications for using design to build a sense of community. Administrative barriers to site changes were able to be overcome through use of a simple visual tool which allowed imaging alternatives for relocation of an existing problematic feature. This study contributes to the under-researched areas of improving space and place at university campuses to accommodate interaction and the benefits of engaging students in placemaking. It has implications for addressing the challenges of maintaining student-university attachment in a digital world, through revealing a time and cost-effective means of engaging students. It reinforces the role of placemaking approaches that increase student engagement, to contribute to the interconnected themes of place identity, attachment, and sense of community.