Guardian of Future Generations

I am proud to mark an important milestone following 3-years of collaborative work on the community project “Our Community, Our Spaces – Healthy, Playful and Secure Together.” A project that embodies the Guardian’s vision of implementing a systems-based and sustainable approach to wellbeing, for the present and the future.

This was achieved by carefully listening to the lived experiences of residents in Ħal Safi, Żurrieq, and Ħal Kirkop through 1 year of extensive qualitative and participatory research. More than 220 residents—including children, early teens, adults, parents, older persons, educators, professionals, and community members—shared their perspectives on what , , , , and truly mean in their everyday lives.

Together, and in collaboration with all relevant government organizations, we co-developed the first multi-layered social map that captures places of wellbeing, safety and unsafety, necessity, and meaning across these localities. This will now be presented to the Government to help inform future planning and policy decisions.

Key message: If we want policies that truly serve both present and , we must embed social thinking from the start! Wellbeing, play, health, and a sense of security should not be an afterthought in planning—they should be central to how we design our communities with an equal weight to technical and economic criteria.

This project demonstrates what becomes possible when community voices meaningfully inform policy, helping us move from short-term solutions to long-term, people-centred .

Thank you Gabriel Caruana Foundation for leading the research and all the government organizations that supported the project throughout.

Special thanks go to the people who made this project successful.



Sustainable Development Malta | Sostenibilità | Rachael Scicluna

There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing Our Community, Our Spaces – Healthy, Playful and Secure Together come to life 💚

After 3 years — including a full year of listening and learning through qualitative research — this community project has reached fruition.

We took time to understand what people truly want and need, and the challenges they face every day in their neighbourhoods.

, , , and became the heart of the project, shaping an integrated that connects Safi, Kirkop, and Żurrieq.

Too often, urban planning forgets and focuses only on infrastructure. But cities and spaces are built for people.

This project shows what’s possible when policy meets community — weaving play, health, and security into a shared vision for the future.

Thank you Gabriel Caruana Foundation for leading the research and all the public bodies that supported the project throughout.

Special thanks goes to the people which without them this project wouldn't have been successful.




Sostenibilità Sustainable Development Malta

💡The Guardian is there to safeguard all generations, including those who don't have a vote and who haven't been born yet.

✳️ Our community project - The Coproduction of Healthy, Playful and Secure Spaces is doing just that.

How?

It's giving a to all residents - old and young - to benefit from a better quality of life.

✴️ It's about not . What's the difference?

✴️ has many great faces: “creating , sparking , and building spaces that truly work for everyone.

✴️ It's about making places with communities, grounded in , , and a spirit of “something for all.”

✴️ It's not about looking photogenic, like painting asphalt, crosswalks, or adding decorative coatings. When the paint chips, the colors fade, or car tires grind it into grey dust, what’s left behind?

Sostenibilità Sustainable Development Malta Gabriel Caruana Foundation

Imagine a neighbourhood where every doorstep, every park bench, and every shared pathway works together to solve the community’s biggest challenges.

🌐 What Is a Social Map?

A is a visual tool that displays the relationships, interactions, and networks among people, groups, or organisations within a community or system. It shows who is connected to whom, the strength or type of each link, and adds context such as roles, locations, or interests to reveal how social dynamics shape behaviour and influence outcomes.

📖 Why Use a Social Map?

Humanity is relational – meaning is created through the web of social ties.

It lets us track perceptions of place while eliciting memory-telling stories that give a neighbourhood its character.

By walking with residents, conducting “walking interviews,” and running art‑based workshops, we capture intimate, near‑real‑time experiences of daily life.

🔍 Why It Matters for Design, Planning & Infrastructure - Insights and Impacts

1️⃣ Community issues are inseparable from the design of individual homes and public spaces.

2️⃣ Systems‑based thinking shifts professional focus from solely focusing on the hardwire of infrastructure to the social & cultural fabric that gives it life.

3️⃣ Inclusive, rights‑based design provides a concrete solution to demographic change, fostering liveable, equitable cities for everyone.

A Social Map turns complex social reality into a clear, visual language that helps planners, architects, and policymakers design more humane, inclusive, and resilient environments.

Sustainable Development Malta| Sostenibilità| Gabriel Caruana Foundation| Transport Malta| Malta | Project Green | ERA - Environment & Resources Authority | Foundation for Social Welfare Services| Ħal Safi Local Council | Local Council | Local Council

Here's a glimpse of what the Guardian has been up to over the summer period!

✔️Closing Phase 2

🌱Building Playful, Inclusive Communities Together

After a year of qualitative research in Ħal-Safi, Ħal-Kirkop, and Żurrieq with all residents, we have concluded the second phase of our community project — celebrated through an exhibition led by local teens at with the support of Foundation for Educational Services (FES), the Community Police and the research team from Gabriel Caruana Foundation.

Together, and co-created a through walking interviews and art-based workshops, exploring and from , , , and perspectives.

The community map identifies gaps in existing infrastructure — cultural, social, and physical — ensuring that the often-overlooked needs of children and all residents are placed at the centre of future planning.

Teens in Żurrieq further tested and evaluated the prototype map, reinforcing the importance of collaborative governance, active citizenship, and participatory governance.

✨ The next steps:

✔️ Phase 3 - the community-designed social map will be co-produced with government partners including Project Green, Transport Malta, Malta, ERA - Environment & Resources Authority, Ħal Safi Local Council
Zurrieq Local Council Ħal Kirkop Local Council and Foundation for Social Welfare Services - for Community and Therapeutic Services (ACTS).

More to come...stay tuned!

Sostenibilità | Sustainable Development Malta| Marie Scicluna, PhD