Coventry University Campus

The Coventry University trial has now ended and we are no longer accepting Coventry Campus comments.

If you notice something that requires urgent attention and may cause a hazard, please direct all queries to the Estates Department on 024 7765 7272 immediately. You can view Estates’ website at: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/cu/estates

Stoke Aldermoor Summer Fete

Project Overview

VoiceYourView is a three-year research council funded project that is looking at ways people’s knowledge of public spaces can be captured in order to create safer, more inclusive spaces. We believe that the users of a public space know it best, but, at present, only a small proportion of their views are taken into account during public consultations before construction and through post-occupancy evaluation surveys. All users have opinions about the spaces in which they live and work, or see things which worry them as they walk to work. While they may discuss the benefits and drawbacks of a design with their friends and colleagues, this feedback may never reach the designers or the council.

The VoiceYourView project is going to develop ways to collect people’s views as they walk through spaces, then structure and store these in an online repository where they can be seen by other users, such as local community groups, local authorities, etc. We believe that by so doing, VoiceYourView will lead to public spaces that are more attuned to the needs of their users.

Coventry University campus has been selected as one of the suitable trial sites due to its current regeneration activities. New car park has been opened recently and Computing and Engineering building together with the Student Enterprise building are under construction at the moment. The university is planning to invest £160m in the redevelopment of the campus over the next ten years. However, Estates Department and the university as a whole has done limited consultation with the users of the campus about the work taking place and the users’ ideas and aspirations of what the campus should look like. VoiceYourView project will facilitate this consultation in a more fun and accessible way. Its aim is to consult with staff, students and visitors about the redevelopments taking place at the university right now and those planned for the future. Concerns and issues which can be addressed almost immediately will be identified and forwarded to the Estates Department, who fully support this study. Participants will have the chance to influence the future design of the campus.

The aims are the following:

To develop a variety of technologies that can be used by public space users in communicating their needs and aspirations for public spaces.
To implement these technologies and raise awareness of the VoiceYourView project at Coventry University.
To use these technologies to engage staff, students and visitors of Coventry University in a consultation about the university campus and measure the technologies’ effectiveness in terms of quality of data captured, popularity in terms of use and other factors.
To engage staff, students and visitors of Coventry University in a discussion about the current state of the campus as well as their ideas, concerns, suggestions and opinions about the future of the campus.

Coventry University Campus Trial

The trial at Coventry University takes place during the Autumn Term between 27 September and 17 December 2010. Students, staff and visitors to the campus will have the opportunity to voice their ideas, suggestion, concerns and opinions on the current as well as future Coventry University campus.

What can you comment on?

There are lots of spaces and places around the campus which you use on a regular basis, that you use regularly that need your attention and consideration. These can be:

Green spaces
Pavements
Shortcuts
Squares
Car parks

What are we interested in?

What do you think about these spaces?
Do you like them? Why? If not, what would you suggest should be done to improve them?
Is there something that concerns you around the campus?
Do you have an idea or a vision for the redevelopment of the campus?

How can you get involved?

Choose from the following options and voice your view!

Send a text message beginning with ‘vyv’ to 60777 (standard network rates apply)
Send an e-mail to vyv.cucampus@coventry.ac.uk
Fill in a short online form here
Use one of the touch screens located in the Lanchester Library, Students’ Union Priory Street or Alan Berry building
Download a free VoiceYourView application from the iPhone App Store

Feel free to use as many options as you want, as many times as you like and VoiceYourView about whatever is important to YOU regarding the physical aspects of your campus. We are here to listen!

Are there any immediate benefits for me? Yes - COMPETITION

VoiceYourView is also running a competition. For a chance to win an iPod or shopping vouchers, make sure to respond to a request for your background information after you have submitted your comment. This relates to your status as a staff, student or visitor to the campus, your age, gender, ethnicity and disability. This data is collected to examine whether VoiceYourView is inclusive and is used by a wide range of demographic groups.

If you sent a text message, you will get a text message back. In case of an e-mail, you will receive an e-mail back. For online form, touch screen and iPhone the service is automatic.

It is not mandatory for you to answer, however they you will not be entered into the prize draw.

The information you provide will be used to improve the campus and inform its future developments. However, for us to be able to do that, make sure to specify the location of what you are referring to when submitting your comment!

PLEASE NOTE!!!

If you notice something that requires urgent attention and may cause a hazard, contact the Estates Department on 024 7765 7272 immediately. You can view Estates’ website on: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/cu/estates

vYv is not to be used for reporting maintenance issues in university accommodation.

FURTHER INFORMATION – CONTACT:

If you have any further questions about the Coventry University trial or the VoiceYourView project in general, contact the project representatives:
Katerina Frankova
Graham Sutherland B66
frankov2@uni.coventry.ac.uk
or

Laurence Garton
Maurice Foss
gartonl@uni.coventry.ac.uk