Infrastructuring Place: A Case Study of Citizen-Led Placemaking Practices in Two Urban Gardening Projects

A proliferation of citizen-led placemaking practices, characterised by peer-to-peer production, collective intelligence and participatory design, has challenged expert-led development practices, and encouraged alternative forms of urban governance and land use.From large-scale projects to temporary urban interventions, citizens are exploring new ways of working together to reshape their communities and make place.This study builds on emerging concepts in participatory design by answering the question, How do two urban gardening groups make place?Through sketch mapping, focus group interviews and document analysis, this study combines two research traditions in an interdisciplinary analysis of the material practices and social impact of commons-based approaches to placemaking.It emphasises the important role that citizens play in creating, designing and maintaining the commons, and demonstrates that individuals working outside a professional urban design context can (and do) innovate to create meaningful community places, by advancing open and decentralised forms of participation, production and knowledge.Commuting from Montreal to Ottawa would have been much more challenging without the help of friends.I would like to thank Corinna Robitaille and Linda Pelude, and Amanda Quance and Nick Ackerley for providing me with a comfortable and welcoming place to stay during my weekly commute to Carleton University.I would also like to express my gratitude to my mother-in-law Beth Lehrer and father-law Marty