Event Details

How do planning decisions shape the places we use every day? Who benefits from them, who is left out, and how can public spaces be designed more fairly? These are some of the questions explored in Reimagine Our Spaces, an interactive activity by the Malta Sociological Association and the Dept of Sociology, inspired by the Science in the City 2026 theme: Research, Resist, Reimagine.

Participants are invited to engage with three familiar Maltese locations – Triton Square, Floriana’s St Anna Street, and Għadira Bay – through a simple but thought-provoking game. Using the categories Keep, Change, and Remove, visitors can express their views on different aspects of these spaces and share ideas about how they could be improved in the future.

The activity introduces participants to the principles of Social Impact Assessments (SIAs), a tool used to understand how developments and planning decisions affect people and communities. Through discussion and reflection, participants are encouraged to consider the social consequences of change, including issues of accessibility, inclusion, quality of life, mobility, community identity, and environmental sustainability.

The activity reflects the festival theme by encouraging visitors to Research how spaces function through their own experiences, Resist by questioning decisions and highlighting concerns, and Reimagine by proposing new possibilities for more inclusive and community-oriented environments.

Suitable for all ages, the activity creates a space for dialogue between citizens and social researchers. Feedback gathered throughout the evening will be documented and shared as part of ongoing public discussions about the future of these important Maltese spaces.

Presented by Malta Sociological Association and the Department of Sociology, University of Malta