Liveability Talk with Vivian Doumpa Explores the Power of Placemaking

Vivian Doumpa, an urban planner and geographer based in Athens, is the co-founder of STIPO’s Greek office and a board member of Placemaking Europe. She underscored the significance of placemaking in fostering engagement and creativity, contrasting it with traditional urban planning that often prioritizes vehicles over people. Through compelling case studies—such as a project in Rotterdam that harnessed local talent to revitalize public spaces—she highlighted the impact of authentic civic participation over superficial consultations.

One of the key concepts explored was the relationship between space and place, illustrated using the Maslow pyramid to stress the necessity of fulfilling basic needs before fostering broader community engagement. Doumpa also introduced the “power of 10” strategy, encouraging attendees to identify key neighborhood destinations to enhance social interaction. Additionally, she discussed tactical urbanism as a means for cities to experiment with low-cost, high-impact improvements, citing Bogotá’s Ciclovia and the transformation of Times Square as successful examples.
The discussion also touched on the Citizen Placemaking initiative, which integrates placemaking into municipal systems through workshops with various municipalities. Doumpa emphasized the need for decentralized decision-making, effective funding structures, and measurable impact assessment in placemaking efforts. Participants were encouraged to reflect on their own cities’ practices and explore ways to foster long-term community engagement.

Download her presentation here: 2025.03.27_Livability Talk_VivianDoumpa

Looking ahead, the Liveability Talk series will return on May 15th, 13:30 CET with another engaging session with Mārtiņš Staķis, Former Mayor of Riga (Latvia), Member of the European Parliament. Registration is now open—don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation shaping the future of our cities!

Programme Manual Online

Choose