STUDENTS AND KIDS DESIGNED THE CITY THEY DREAM
The workshop started with the presentation prepared by Hasırcı on “Sustainability” in order to provide a common language between the students of the faculty and primary school students. The groups made up of academicians, design students and 80th Year Primary School Students made a model that includes how “Sustainability” principle can be implemented to a city. The water treatment stations, solar paneled houses, environmentalist animal houses, environmental public transportations in the project revealed the sensitivity of the students about ecology.
Asst. Prof. Deniz Hasırcı stated that at the end of the workshop, both the university students and primary school students had learned many things and said “A productive, participative workshop is executed in which different ideas are discussed. We will exhibit the “Green Model City” that is formed at the end of the workshop in the entrance of the university. Besides, with “participant area programming” will continue with different schools and age groups. Additionally, short projects will be executed in schools with the cooperation of the municipalities such as “Art Studios in Semester Holiday”, “Art and Design Studios in Semester Holiday”. It is very important for the children to develop awareness about this subject and to become careful and meticulous individuals about the environment.”
THE VIEWS OF THE STUDENTS THAT ATTENDED THE WORKSHOP
NİMET DİLAVER: We designed the “Green Park of Our Dreams” with Ece, Gülbeyaz and Can. It is a park with a playground, sandbox, swimming pool, basketball and football field. The children dreamed of a park with their unlimited imagination. It seems easy but it was a very meaningful work for us. This workshop which started as a small volunteering project added many things to all of us. The expression of happiness on the children’s face was the most important thing. I attended such kind of a project for the first time. The project was really enjoyable and beautiful. Thanks again.
BAŞAK AN: First of all we want to thank you for providing us to contribute in such a beautiful project. It was an unforgettable day for us too. The subject of our group was public transportation. Although we cannot consider as public transportation, we made a project about bicycle and the widespread usage of bicycle. Bicycle roads, with parks and main roads around it was our project. We also made train that completes it and another street. The children chose bicycle because it was a cleaner vehicle and because they can use it easily at this age. They used their own imagination while making their models. We as their brothers and sisters only accelerated them. They made parks and gardens around it became a really livable place.
SONAY PERÇİN: Everything flew vey beautifully. In the group that designed animal house that Kayahan helped, it is thought to provide peace between the animals by taking help from the nature. In public transportation project, Muhammed Batman drew the gas that came out of the car which is used by comic book hero. I said “What is this?” and he said “gas”. “But we are supposed to protect our environment, did you forget that?” said I. He immediately said “We can solve it.” He placed a device on the car and said “The car will operate with the power of nature. It can be wind, sun or rain.” I was shocked when I heard such an immediate answer. The student that was designing farm areas (Hüseyin) was thinking about the vegetables which he would place in the green house. He suddenly said “banana” and placed bananas one by one on the soil. I saw that we should hang on to the child spirit that never grows inside us.
KAYAHAN DEDE: Gamze and I made an animal house. Gamze said that the cats and dogs on the streets were very unhappy and she wanted them to live in zoos with animals like elephants, giraffes, horses and pigs. Later, instead of closed cages she imagined a natural environment where they can feel free and thought they could live far from people and feel like they catch their own food. She separated the cats and dogs with a brook and provided them to live in peace. The lake in the middle of the zoo is full of fish, frogs and storks. So that other animal can feed on with these. Gamze created a small ecosystem in that natural area in the middle of the city with fish, frogs, storks, rabbits, harvest mice, chickens and small birds. The cats and dogs feed on little mice and they can live without the interference of the humans. I think this work solves the problems of today. It taught me start with a child’s spirit and not to be afraid of freeing my mind without being drowned in technical details.
MİNE UYSAL: It was a beautiful day for me too, thank you for giving this opportunity. Our project with Gökselin was on treatment plant. Our truck gathers all the waste water and brings to the plant and later it produces clean water in two depots. One of these depots waters the farm near us and there is a huge fountain in the other, the people living around come and take clean water from there. Gökselin wanted to turn the surroundings of the plant into life space; there are houses with flowers in its garden and there is a school in front of the plant. We planned to have a restaurant but we could not make it in time. Besides, our factory has a specialty; it does not fume bad smoke that is why it does not have a chimney. It does not also make noise. That is our project. One of the things that drew my attention yesterday was that the children did not have any difficulty; they immediately decided what to do and developed their projects without planning. It is very difficult for adults to let it flow. That is why we have difficulty in solving problems. But the children made it with such an excitement and love, I think there are many things that we should take from them.
