Participatory Design for Under-Represented Communities: A Collaborative Design-Led Research Approach for Place-Making

Introduction

Community participation has become one of the hot topics for policy development and planning practices across the globe. Over the last decades, a huge effort has been put into bringing more under-represented communities and/or ethnic minorities into the decision-making process that directly affects them, reversing the bureaucratic and standardised ‘top-downism’ effect present across several institutions and decision-making bodies (Mohan, 2007). The research model where the prevailing culture is ‘expert’ that has typically led practice, has had a long and extensive history in academia. However, more recently a design-led perspective has move to the forefront the common goal of driving, inspiring and informing the design process (Vaajakallio & Mattelmaki, 2007). This new approach not only incorporates the physical dimensions of space but also embeds social relations and subjective human experiences in the design itself (Schofield & Szymanski, 2011).

Place values are embedded in both the physical space and social environments in which relations are built upon. Accordingly, the making of place influences both the physical form and the ways in which communities are created and interact with one another. Place-making is considered an empowering process where communities are actively involved in maintaining, renovating and representing the places in which they live. This process implies that places are not by-products of expert interventions but can accommodate active and on-going participation of the communities themselves (Strydom & Puren, 2013). Participation in decisions that determine the quality and direction of the built environment requires the involvement of the community, giving primacy to their right to participate in the shaping of the world in which they live (Sanoff, 1990). Involving communities in the design process and in decision-making gives them a feeling of ownership and responsibility towards the surrounding environment as well as improving their quality of life (Eden, 1996; Lipietz, 2008). This ultimately contributes to a more engaged, informed and active ‘world-citizen’.

Designing with and for communities is a genuine process which allows for strong partnerships to be established with those who will use the design outcomes. The process requires that all parties involved get to know one another and build mutual respect. With this, there is an ethical stand underlying participatory design that recognises an accountability of design to the world it creates and the lives of those who inhabit it. Morrow (2012) discusses the importance of forming partnerships with local communities as a way to expand architectural education opportunities and also benefit communities through civic involvement by students. Live projects are those that engage real citizens in real-time contexts and encourage students to become active citizens of a community dedicated to cultural and ecological health.

This alternative approach, where people are treated as active citizens and therefore seen as partners and active co-creators in the design process linked to place-making, is not straightforward. It challenges the actions of those researchers and designers who engage in symbolic and figurative activities of ‘window dressing’ to create an impression of commitment to community development.

The presented design-led research process focuses on the application of a collaborative and interdisciplinary participatory process, which requires a sustained period of interaction and relationship maintenance. In this chapter, we discuss a series of participatory activities that were the result of collaboration between Maori and the School of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington in one project and Pasifika community groups with the School in another. In both projects participatory design methods were employed in the design and development of community facilities and environments for place-making.