In December 2024, the ACD’s Josh Buckingham had the privilege of sitting down with Jennie Savage, an urbanist, creative thinker and social researcher, for an insightful conversation about co-design.
With over two decades of experience, Jennie has honed a practice that bridges community and environment, using co-design to shape urban spaces and foster meaningful connections. In this engaging discussion, Jennie shares her thought-provoking perspectives on co-design, her unique approach to community-led projects, and an inspiring overview of her impactful work.
Josh: Shall we start with a bit about your background, what motivated you to have a career in the co-design sphere and a bit about your practice?
Jennie: During university I gained fascination for cities—how people use and engage with them, and how these environments, in turn, shape individuals and communities. There’s a dynamic and porous relationship between people and places; as we grow up, we internalise the city and the built environment around us. They tell us about our place in the world, influencing our perspectives and experiences.
I studied fine art at university which initially led on to me working as a public artist, an experience that has profoundly shaped my practice. Through talking to and learning from people, I gained valuable insights into their perceptions of the places they live. This experience has helped mould my process-based approach to projects, which involves entering a situation with no preconceived ideas and enabling the community to guide the process. Through a series of themed workshops, I learn about their aspirations and desires, letting their voices shape the project’s direction.
When I established my teaching career, both my academic practice and active research built on this co-design approach that I’d established.
“ENABLE THE COMMUNITY TO GUIDE THE PROCESS.”
Josh: You have recently worked with Tower Hamlets Council in London, could you share a bit about your experience?
Jennie: I worked with the Council for two years on a women’s safety project as part of an inclusive design policy. While the initial focus was on safety, I challenged the assumption that discussions about women and public spaces should always centre on safety. I questioned whether this issue of safety stems from women themselves, the media, or societal norms and assumptions.
So, I expanded the project scope by creating an evidence base and design guidance, arguing that for 5,000 years, women have been excluded from city planning, so we shouldn’t limit the conversation to safety.
Women navigate cities in complex and evolving ways, influenced by life stages such as adolescence, parenthood and beyond, yet there’s little research on this. I spoke to around 500 women, gathering their insights to shape the policy, so that it was a broader, community-driven plan, rather than focusing only on safety.
Josh: Do you work mainly with Councils, or have you worked with other organisations?
Jennie: Much of my recent work has been with local authorities. Community engagement can’t be a tokenistic ‘add on’ to the end of a project in order to tick a box. It needs to be embedded at the start, with the communities’ voices being heard and represented throughout the lifespan of a project. This is something that councils can be really good at.
In the past, I have done more funded public art projects through galleries and museums. For instance, I did a big project in Cardiff called Star Radio, where individuals created a radio programme talking about their local area and the built environment. In all the projects I’ve done, the process or methodology is the same, a back and forth with people so that as the project evolves our collective understanding becomes more nuanced and multifaceted. What I’ve realised is that when you start reaching out into communities and asking questions, lots of fascinating people come out of the woodwork; they can enlighten you with their views, skills and perceptions.
“COMMUNITIES’ VOICES BEING HEARD AND REPRESENTED THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN OF A PROJECT”
Josh: I guess this is the crux of co-design. What do you think has been the value of these techniques in your projects?
Jennie: There is a tendency for people to be cautious when talking about co-design as it can be seen as a ‘worthy pursuit’, but I’m interested about co-design when many different types of expertise come together, and I see my role as synthesising voices and holding space for those conversations, but equally being able to articulate their thoughts and help inform them on urban planning and design processes. Co-design is about the bringing together of skills and knowledge, so local knowledge and expertise is important, but the ‘co’ part is where this local knowledge meets the skills of designers, planners, place shapers, policy writers etc.
Josh: How do you see co-design becoming more integrated into design processes?
Jennie: Just as urban design was not widely recognised until the 20th century, Co-design needs to become an integral part of standard practice. In time, co-design professionals could become regular participants in design meetings, representing communities and presenting specific evidence gathered during prior workshops. Ultimately a co-designer’s role would be to inspire people to engage with place making and to articulate the needs of communities to project stakeholders.
“INSPIRE PEOPLE TO ENGAGE WITH PLACEMAKING”