Inclusively imagining space

Public and shared space is essential

Our shared natural resources and space are not inexhaustible. More people are living, working and living in limited space. So the value of public and shared space is only increasing as is the pressure on it.

Sustainable use of space, combining different functions to meet the needs of local residents, is the future.

Inclusively imagining space 

With this project, Arteveldehogeschool and Saamo vzw want to contribute to this by paying special attention to underprivileged residents, from different origins and of different ages. We want their voice to be heard in the sustainable use of space. These are precisely the people for whom public space is important in everyday life. In this project, we therefore want to work with neighbourhood residents on sustainable use of space in their own neighbourhood.

Pathways on sustainable use of space for the next three years

We work with the district and other relevant stakeholders on two levels:

• at the level of the concrete authentic case in the neighbourhood (design thinking);
• at the level of research (design research).

For the concrete case, we start from what the local residents want. During cocreative activities, we explore the needs in the neighbourhood together with them, where they help determine the design question. What opportunities do they see for working with the space in the neighbourhood? How can we deal with space differently?

Arteveldehogeschool and Samenlevingsopbouw Gent supervise these design trajectories and examine how these projects can work at several locations and for a long period of time. We set up trajectories for three years. The neighbourhoods where we will be working are environments where space is underused and needs are high.

Roll out approach in two other districts

By conducting qualitative research in several neighbourhoods, we aim to arrive at widely applicable insights and approaches.

The districts Watersportbaan (high-rise on Watersportbaan) and Ledeberg (Broederij neighbourhood) are our testing grounds. We then roll out the approaches in two other districts with a different spatial context (an urban context and a peripheral, rather rural context). From the various fields of expertise, a complementary team from Arteveldehogeschool and Saamo Gent is working on the success of this project.