Basketcolor Project: Placemaking, art and play for resilient communities in Juarez, Mexico
“After the first waves of COVID-19, we observed how public spaces (streets, squares, parks) in various cities around the world began to become allies for both economic and sociocultural reactivation. From spaces for outdoor commerce to places of physical activity and recreation, of course, prioritizing the new rules of the game: social distancing, face masks and constant sanitization.” Miguel Mendoza and Nómada Estudio Urbano uses placemaking and a participatory approach to reactivate public space.
Photo: Miguel Mendoza
As a result of the pause in public life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, people have had to develop new adaptation mechanisms in the way we approach our cities, communities and, above all, our public spaces.
Nowadays, it is said that we live in a "new normality". However, in a border city as complex as Juarez, Mexico, it is difficult to measure such normality.
For example, in Juarez it was not possible to experience safe confinement in the most critical times of the pandemic. The majority of the population had to be exposed to this new adversity in order not to lose their jobs and remain economically active.
After the first waves of COVID-19, we observed how public spaces (streets, squares, parks) in various cities around the world began to become allies for both economic and sociocultural reactivation. From spaces for outdoor commerce to places of physical activity and recreation, of course, prioritizing the new rules of the game: social distancing, face masks and constant sanitization.
Inspired by these urban adaptations, we began to map spaces in Juarez with the potential to be transformed into multifunctional temporary places for community reactivation processes. That's how we found an interesting common denominator: basketball courts in community parks.
Although Juarez has historically suffered from a deficit of public spaces and the existing parks need to improve their conditions, it is common to find preserved basketball courts in them. In general, the courts in community parks have become bastions of play and one of the most used infrastructures.
Based on these opportunity areas, the Basketcolor Project arose. This project aimed to use placemaking and asphalt art to make basketball courts flexible and adaptable public spaces where play and neighborhood activation coexist.
You may be wondering, "Is it possible to change the traditional context of a basketball court?" The answer is yes, as long as you understand the needs and wishes to be resolved around the space and its users. This is where placemaking and participatory design gain ground.
Photo: Miguel Mendoza
Through placemaking workshops and co-design, we worked with various communities to generate floor mural proposals that could provide the opportunity to also use courts as smart meeting spaces for activities such as flea markets, health fairs, open-air cinema and neighborhood committees. All this, without sacrificing the original purpose for play and recreation.
Throughout the first and second year of the pandemic, the Basketcolor Project allowed the activation of 6 multifunctional basketball courts. As the health situation improved in Juarez and once vaccination was accessible for all, the meaning of the project slowly migrated to the revitalization of courts for recreational use. Now, using placemaking and co-design to consolidate floor murals that make visible the identity and sense of appropriation of the community in which they are located.
Currently, the Basketcolor Project has activated 15 courts in various communities in Juarez and is perceived as a benchmark for citizen participation in the recovery of public spaces. Beyond being an urban art project, Basketcolor is today defined as a community placemaking project that seeks to enhance resilience and generate more humane and playful spaces that reflect the values and uniqueness of the people who inhabit them.
Photo: Miguel Mendoza