Participation in Urban Development: A New Perspective

Projections indicate that over 70% of the world’s population will inhabit cities by 2050*, intensifying the demand for housing and infrastructure. The Netherlands exemplifies this trend, where the housing shortage is expected to rise to 415,000 homes** by the end of 2024. This trend is not just a temporary surge but is projected to continue at least until 2028***, highlighting the urgency for innovative solutions in urban development. Similar trends can be observed in Berlin and Barcelona, where the influx of residents in recent years has led to rising rental prices and a shortage of affordable housing, prompting the city to consider various measures, such as rent controls. In addition, as climate change poses new challenges for cities globally, including increased rainfall, there is a pressing need for adaptive and absorbent infrastructure to manage these impacts effectively.[Fig. 1] This article, part of the “Playground Perspectives” series, underscores the imperative to build well, incorporating citizen participation in neways (multiple levels of inclusivity, transparency, and engagement following a citizen-centric approach enabled by current technological opportunities) to create sustainable, livable urban spaces. To do so, we need to start by rethinking what participation means.

1. Defining Citizen Engagement in Urban Development

1.1. Clarifying Key Concepts*:

Terms around inclusive citizen engagement in city design can be vague and oftentimes interpreted differently, making it necessary to clarify them to avoid misunderstandings. In the context of urban development, ‘Participation’ is a term that signifies more than mere involvement. It represents the active engagement of citizens in every phase of decision-making that influences their urban planning. This concept champions a collaborative approach, where citizen feedback is not just a legal requirement but a key piece in urban planning and design. Simultaneously, ‘Citizen Engagement’ broadens this notion. It includes a range of methodologies, from public forums to cutting-edge digital platforms, all aimed at creating a dynamic and reciprocal interaction between policymakers, citizens, and project initiators. This ensures that urban development is not a top-down process but a dialogue. Complementing these is ‘User Research, ‘ which focuses on understanding the community’s needs, behaviors, and aspirations. This research forms the backbone of any participatory approach, ensuring that the insights and data gathered directly inform and guide the development strategies and implementation.

* UN-Habitat: Civic Participation In Urban Planning And Management

2. Common (miss)understanding:

A frequent misunderstanding is mistaking “Participation” with mere “Consultation”. True participation goes beyond just soliciting opinions; it involves actively incorporating citizen feedback into the planning and through all implementation stages. Consultation, in contrast, is often conducted after key decisions have been made, resulting in a reactive (emotional, negative) process rather than a proactive (intellectual, positive) one. Similarly, ‘Citizen Engagement’ is often misinterpreted as a one-time or singular event, typically occurring after significant design elements are in place, leaving little room for substantial changes.[Fig. 2] This approach usually unfolds in the approval phase, where developers are mandated to present plans for public commentary.

This typically happens through various methodologies such as lamppost notices, public meetings, surveys, interviews, and digital platforms. [Fig. 3] However, genuine citizen engagement should be an ongoing, dynamic interaction that evolves continuously. It involves creating a sustained platform for dialogue, where citizen voices are an enduring influence in urban development.

Another frequent misunderstanding is viewing citizen engagement as an add-on and primarily negative, a channel merely for lodging complaints. Community involvement is often seen as an expensive activity that adds little value to the project. This narrow view overlooks the extensive benefits of well-implemented citizen engagement, especially when initiated early. Effective engagement builds trust between the community and project developers, boosts resident satisfaction by acknowledging and addressing their needs, and leads to more urban spaces aligned with the user’s requirements and functionalities. On the other hand, for project initiators, like real estate developers and governments, the long-term value of the land and property can increase dramatically thanks to residents’ suggested amenities or environmental strategies.* Early involvement of citizens also develops a deeper sense of ownership and connection with the project. By rethinking citizen engagement, we, as professionals, aim to extract its true potential, creating urban spaces that resonate with and fulfill the aspirations and needs of the community.

2. Playground subjective understanding of ‘participation’ terminology: The Playground Perspective

At Playground, participation is perceived as a process and a fundamental principle of urban development. We understand it as a multi-dimensional engagement involving listening to citizens and empowering them to play an active role in shaping their urban spaces. This means moving beyond traditional methods to introduce innovative & engaging approaches that facilitate deeper, more meaningful interactions. [Fig. 4] It’s about empowering the community to actively contribute to forming their urban spaces, promoting a sense of shared ownership and partnership among all stakeholders. In this collaborative process, urban development is designed with the citizens, for the city.

2.1. Inclusive & Human-Centric: Building Spaces for Everyone

We have created the Human-Centric Design Spectrum (HC/DS) to help project teams and citizens choose the right formula for designing urban spaces that authentically represent their inhabitants and users. This commitment goes beyond a vision, translating innovative design and engagement practices into tangible actions facilitated by technological innovations. This approach helps us build urban spaces that authentically reflect the needs, aspirations, and identities of those who inhabit them. But even more so, future-proofs our buildings, public spaces, and infrastructures.

2.2. Innovative and Engaging Approaches for Meaningful Interaction

To achieve relevant levels of participation, Playground leverages the latest technology like AI, ML, and 3D to make participation and spatial planning immersive and interactive. The participation campaign is instant and smooth, requiring a single PDF document or 3 minutes of your time to launch customized engagement and participation strategies. Central to the Playground approach is the accurate collection, analysis, and digestion of engagement data. We funnel engagement data into usable, actionable insights and provide programmatic recommendations that help streamline the participation and planning process. This methodology aims to simplify the often complex and unguided terrain of participation in urban development.

2.3. Accessible: Enhancing Accessibility and Tailoring Participation to Lifestyle

A vital aspect of our approach to participation is the need for customization of engagement processes to suit the diverse lifestyles and preferences of community members while serving the needs of the project developers. We advocate a modular or “lego block” approach, enabling customization for each unique scenario. This flexibility ensures that participation is not only technologically accessible but also adaptable to individual needs, preferences, and lifestyles. By providing multiple avenues for participation, each individual is empowered to engage in a way that best suits them, therefore promoting a more inclusive, trust-based, and honest collaboration with the community.

2.4. Dynamic: Multi-Dimensional Engagement Empowering Citizens in Urban Spaces

The Playground approach to participation in urban development represents a significant shift from traditional engagement methods. Instead of relying on traditional, often unengaging approaches like surveys and leaflets, we’re designing a platform envisioned for deeper, more interactive, and efficient collaboration. This initiative not only reimagines how to perform participation but also enables and facilitates the incorporation of insights acquired through more traditional methods (such as in-person workshops), acknowledging that we are in a digital transition* phase where the needs of citizens are diverse and that no single approach fits all scenarios. In addition, unlike conventional approaches that focus on sporadic surveys or occasional public meetings, we envision a living interaction present during the entire urban planning process. Continuous engagement is the essence of our approach, enabling a flow of communication that focuses on obtaining feedback at specific milestones but enables understanding among all stakeholders throughout the urban development process. In this approach, every stage of development becomes an opportunity for collaboration and exchange, creating a feedback loop that enriches the urban planning process.

3. Industries with a strong user-centered design approach.

The user-centric design approach, though not yet a mainstream concept in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, is already a fundamental principle in various other sectors. These sectors exemplify the benefits of placing user needs and preferences at the core of design and development, leading to innovative and more user-friendly solutions. Adopting and adapting these user-centric methodologies from other industries could significantly enhance outcomes in the AEC sector, bringing a new dimension to building and infrastructure projects.

3.1. Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Brands:

D2C brands excel in community engagement* by heavily investing in social media and user research to define their products & campaigns. By directly reaching out to consumers, they gather insights that shape their product development and marketing strategies, ensuring that their offerings align with customer needs and preferences. Example: A D2C sports nutrition brand uses social media polls and feedback to develop and market a new product line that addresses specific concerns raised by its community (i.e., holistic well-being).

*Source: Powerful engagement strategies for D2C Brands

3.2. Hospitality and Travel:

The hospitality and travel industries rely heavily on customer feedback for service improvement. As the reviews are mostly public, businesses can adjust their offering accordingly, and users can trust the service offered thanks to the enabled transparency. Example: A hotel chain uses customer feedback from various platforms such as Booking.com or Google Reviews to redesign/improve its services, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, service recommendations, and customer retention.

3.3. Automotive Industry:

The automotive industry has increasingly adopted user-centric design principles, focusing on driver and passenger experience and well-being. Example: Electric vehicle designs by companies like Tesla demonstrate this approach, emphasizing user interface, comfort, and safety, influenced by direct consumer feedback.

3.4. Spatial Design:

Leaders pioneer user understanding in spatial design, creating environments that resonate emotionally with clients. Example: WeWork’s use of VR and EEG headsets for design research demonstrates a deep dive into user experience.

Conclusion

Our ambition with Playground is to enable citizens to be actively and constructively involved in shaping the urban spaces they inhabit. Instead of an addition to the complicated, already complex building and urban planning process, citizens become the missing puzzle piece to streamline current processes and fit within existing workflows. With citizen engagement, we can tap into the collective intelligence of large groups to tackle some of the most pressing environmental and spatial challenges. We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone’s voices and ideas don’t just get heard but play a crucial role in influencing the development of our neighborhoods. Ultimately, this approach aims to transform the concept and practice of participation in urban planning, making it more accessible, insightful, and impactful.

References

• United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). (2024). Global Urbanization Trends and Projections, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, https://unhabitat.org/
• Capital Value. (2024). Netherlands Housing Market Report, Capital Value, https://www.capitalvalue.nl/
• ABF Research. (2024). Dutch Housing Market Forecast 2024–2028, ABF Research, https://www.abfresearch.nl/