What is the Weavers Green?

Hillfields is a multi-cultural inner-city area of Coventry, with a high proportion of social rented housing and a fairly transient population. "Families tend to stay in the area for two or three years before moving on", says Lorella Medici, chair of the Weaver's Green Residents Group. " Any project to involve children has got to recognise that. Involvement has therefore got to be ongoing, to involve new people as they move in."

Weaver's Green was created in the 1970s when a row of old weavers' cottages was demolished. Several different private landlords owned the land, and parcels of it were gradually sold off for development, reducing the already small amount of open space in the area. The local community resisted these sell-offs and eventually, with a grant from the Countryside Agency, managed to save the last piece of land to create a Doorstep Green for children and families living in the area.

The Design Process

The Design for Weaver's Green grew out of a holiday project for local children, which has been running since 1999. When they were first asked what they wanted, children said things such as swimming pools, skate parks, and sweet shops. This led to a conversation about the limits of the project and questions about how the children would fell if they were living next door to the site. "Children are very reasonable," says Lorella. "If you explain something to them, they will understand." A series of drawing and model-making workshops with artists encouraged children to think about the idea of "my house" and then "your house, our street, our green". The models were used as a tool for a wider discussion about what the design should be like. "Children have limited experience," says Lorella. "You need to talk to them to share different visions and possibilities that are out there. That's why it's good to involve artists, because they have a wider visual repertoire." The children's ideas and input from the wider consultation fed into the final design, which included a sandpit, a flat grassy area for sitting or playing, an orchard, a seated picnic area and a new fence incorporating the children's drawings.

A Culture of Positive Use

Young people have used the green for years. In recent years the green had become quite overgrown, so the children held a clean-up day to make the green accessible for playing and holding events.

"Kinds in the area weren't used to playing together," explains Lorella, "and so we wanted to create a space where they could learn to be together, where the whole community could come and socialise." In the summer of 2002, children and their families were involved in activities on the green including Jubilee celebrations, picnics and games.

The aim was to build a culture of positive use and to create a dialogue between adults and children about the use of the green. Lorella is clear as to the benefits. "It's conversation between the different generations that creates a bond. I think all generations have a lot to learn from each other - including adults! For every person complaining about the noise of kids playing, there will be others saying that it's really good. But you have to keep adults on board too, even if they seem uninterested or even dead set against the idea. You have to give children time to prove them wrong."