Viewing and mapping of the education district Vogelsang in Saarlouis
On November 18, 2025, the project team Saarmila conducted a walkshop in the Vogelsang Educational Quarter, applying the methodology of promenadology to gain a deeper understanding of the area. The educational quarter comprises the Vogelsang Primary School, the municipal daycare center Metzer Wiesen, and the Protestant daycare center. The objective was to foster a conscious and subjective perception of space, followed by a critical reflection on spatial quality, with particular attention to safety and quality of stay.
The walkshop began with a guided group walk during which the project coordinator from Saarlouis presented an overview of the implementation of the school route concept for the Vogelsang Educational Quarter and explained the key projects on site. Subsequently, all participants were given the opportunity to explore the area independently and according to their own interests. To support this process, the following guiding observation questions were used:
1) Factual: How are the spaces and routes designed? (overall impression, school routes, school surroundings) (Overall Impression, School, School Environment)
2) Emotional: What do I feel? How does the place affect me overall?
3) potential: What could emerge from this? Which (future) potentials do I perceive?
For further discussion of the observations and experiences, the project team then met at the Esther Bejarano House. Working in two groups, participants mapped their perceptions from the walk using the method of cognitive mapping. This method has long been used in urban planning and is based on the principle of identifying the distinctive characteristics of an area by compiling multiple individual perceptions. During the exchange, participants shared their personal impressions of the educational quarter, and the key observations were documented on maps of the area.
Finally, the results from both groups were discussed jointly. This process led to the identification of particularly relevant themes for school route planning and to the development of guiding questions for the project’s further work.
In the subsequent phases of the project, various user groups—such as children, parents, and senior citizens—will be actively involved in a similar manner. Through dialogue, their perceptions, needs, and spatial requirements will be systematically identified.
