Hands On Famagusta

'Hands-on Famagusta' is an interactive platform facilitating urban design tools and survey data from all Famagusta residents to build a participatory process that develops common ground and shapes conflicting priorities into a vision of a contemporary and prosperous Famagusta region. The goal is not to encourage any particular vision of the Famagusta region, but to support Famagusta residents and all Cypriots to see the region as a whole with an integrated waterfront, inter-related and inter-dependent ecological and cultural resources, and shared and effective infrastructure and services. 

The Interactive Website 

The interactive website is an integral part of the ”Hands-On-Famagusta” project. It is based on the work produced by the Laboratory of Urbanism, University of Cyprus (LU²CY), Imaginary Famagusta (I.F.), ALA/Stratis and AA&U. The website will be used to share urban design tools with the public and encourage Famagusta residents to engage with decision makers on the future of their city; to collect information from Famagusta residents and visitors both from online surveys and in the form of archives (photos, documents, etc.); and to display the information in innovative and creative ways.  The information, which will include 2-D and 3-D images clustered around themes such as the waterfront, the environment, cultural resources and infrastructure (that could include transportation, parking, and green spaces for example), will help people identify their common interests and priorities for the future. 

The Hands-On-Famagusta Cloud, the first part of the website, will be the repository for users who wish to share both their memories and their suggestions for the future of Famagusta.  The information will be organized and categorized so that it evokes thoughtful consideration as a variety of design elements are proposed, considered and debated.

The “Imaginary Famagusta” Game, the second part of the website, will provide users with the opportunity to rethink the future of Famagusta in its entirety in a game-like environment. Users will be able to look at controversial issues from different perspectives and debate the pros and cons of different approaches in a supportive environment.

The Team

By joining the volunteers for Hands-on-Famagusta you become an “Imaginary Famagusta” member, a passionate bi-communal group with its members full of hope and persistence for imagining and changing the future of Famagusta. We are architects, planners and urban designers. But we are also professionals, academics and doctorate students. We are also, most of us, parents of younger and older children who thrive to live in a different Cyprus from the one we lived in. (Imaginary Famagusta: Emre Akbil, Esra Can Akbil, Nektarios Christodoulou,  Munevver Ozgur Ozersay Socrates Stratis – AA&U support (Chrysanthi Constantinou)

Community Support

We are looking for help from individuals, initiatives and organizations who share our passion for a prosperous future for the Famagusta region. 

Specifically, we are looking for volunteers, including students and young professionals, who have skills and knowledge in any of the following: translation (English/Greek/Turkish), communications, visual arts, psychology/sociology, architecture, urban design, urban planning, and anthropology.

We are also looking for collaborators and organizations interested in supporting the consultation meetings, workshops & public events.  Facilitators, event organizers, and logistics managers would be particularly helpful.

For several offline activities, venues and equipment are also needed.

Budget

The asked contribution for the Hands on Famagusta Website is $30.000.