Stirling – place identity, routes and communication
Location: Stirling (the UK), city centre
Challenges presented: Although renewed and with many small businesses, the city centre does not generate user flows.
Challenges and potential that Laimikis identified: the main attractions around the city are Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument, which regularly attracts buses with tourists. However, after visiting the Castle, the tourists do not stay in the city. Two vital features may contribute to the solution: the Stirling train station and a well-developed connection to other towns, and the walkable distance from the train station to the city centre and from the train and bus station to Stirling Castle may help to generate a proper flow of attendees for the city centres.
Methods: round-tables with representatives of various citizen groups, including local businesses in the city centre, meetings and interviews with local stakeholders, walks and talks, individual analysis of the connections with the city centre, and analysis of city communication, pilot projects to test if the direction for solutions is right. Pitching sessions to the members of the City Council and stakeholders presenting the solution.
Solution and pilot action:
1. The entering points that form the flow of visitors are the castle, the train, and the bus station. A package of communication tools and solutions is developed, focusing on off-line and on-line-off-line communication. A modified version of Laimikis.lt tool – a Street Blog – is tested at the train station.
2. Event by the train station – a visual mapping of the nearest facade with the messages dedicated to Stirling City.
Laimikis tool used: Street Blog (Web_0), a modified version for the needs of Stirling.
Long-term program proposed:
1. Turning Stirling into a place for annual artistic plein air – that will contribute to the attractiveness of the routes between the Castle, train and bus stations, and city centre.
2. Strengthen offline communication with visitors coming via train and bus stations by using walls and empty plots, installing stands, and applying proposed Street Blog modifications.
3. A calendar outlining events at and near the train station, engaging both residents and travelers in interactive city-focused sessions.
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Operator: British Council, Urban Ideas Bakery, Stirling Municipality.
Year: 2010
Image in the head of this post by John Knight.