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Journal

ACD Journal 

Pages from ACD Journal - v18_220911.jpg

We are excited to launch the ACD's first journal! 

Our team have developed a fantastic 55-page journal with articles from all over the globe on collaborative design across the built environment. As such, our first journal is a celebration of what members of our community have generously shared over the past year.  The content reflects the activities we have undertaken and the different voices, cultures and practices that have been present and have enriched us all. 

It is tremendously heartening that the ACD’s mission chimes with so many people interested in co-design from all walks of life.

Inside, you will find articles that draw upon the ACD’s Co-design: International Voices conference, our regular thematic Conversation Labs, practitioner talks, responses to policy consultations and worldwide practice.

 

Five themes emerged in the editing process, which we have highlighted throughout this first issue: Digital, Policy, Practice, Inclusion and International. At this point, we invite you to scour every page linearly or dip in and out.

Editorial Team: Jo Morrison, Alex Brooks, May Newisar, Marisa Harlington

ACD Journal   Issue 1 - Free online version here

Watch recorded events

Watch Recorded events
  • Youtube
WUC - Language in the City (LinkedIn Pos

ACD Conference 2020 - Watch here

ACD UN-HABITAT World Urban Campaign:
Urban Thinkers Campus series- Watch here

Book List

Book list

Useful Websites and Guides

Useful websites and Guides

United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands

Design for Dementia, Mental Health and Wellbeing
Co-Design, Interventions and Policy

Kristina Niedderer, Geke Ludden, Tom Dening, Vjera Holthoff-Detto

This book examines how design can enhance wellbeing and mental health in dementia, mental illness, and neurodiversity through holistic, salutogenic, and preventive strategies, emphasizing collaborative, creative processes guided by mental health and design policies.

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Europe

Guidelines for co-creation and co-governance of nature-based solutions

Publications Office of the European Union

This report analyses co-creation and co-governance approaches for Nature Based Solutions in diverse European contexts, presenting best practices and guidelines for researchers and practitioners.

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Global

Participedia crowdsource database

Participedia

A global network and crowdsourcing platform for researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in public participation and democratic innovations

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United Kingdom

A Quality of Life: Code of Practice

A Quality of Life Foundation

A code of practice for effective community consultation and engagement in development, planning and design.

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United Kingdom

Community-Led Regeneration: A Toolkit for Residents and Planners

University College London Discovery

Guide to community-Led regeneration with tools and strategies for resisting social housing demolition and proposing community-led plans, with case studies from London communities

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United Kingdom

Every One Every Day'

Nat Defriend/ Participatory City

Imaginative ‘hands-on’ projects for people and neighbourhoods

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Spain

Rethinking spaces from new paradigms

Sara Ortiz Escalante/ Collectiu Punt Six

To break with discriminations and hierarchies

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United Kingdom

Communities

Public Practice

Resources and records primarily on the theme of Communities

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United Kingdom

Resources

Glass-house

Practical resources, films, and publications about their work

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United Kingdom

CCQOL The Inclusive Engagement Toolkit: A Toolkit For Change

Quality of Life Foundation

Addressing the gap between participation in engagement and inclusion

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United Kingdom

Place-based toolkit for working is about collectively

Place Standard Toolkit

Assessing places in various stages

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Global

For the Love of Community Engagement

Becky Hirst

Concerns for the future of public participation

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United States of America

Digital Engagement Guide

Hester Street

Guides and publications on techniques and methods

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Spain

Publications on feminist urbanism

Collectiu Punt Six

Gender-based urban assessment and methods

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Global

Collaborative Design

Philippe Coullomb & Charles Collingwood-Boots

Field guide on design & facilitation

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Australia

Introducing the mindsets for co-design

Beyond Sticky Notes

Mindsets for co-design

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United Kingdom

Guide on collaborative approach

The Collaboration Guidebook 2023

Guidebook for collaboration journey

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Global

Guide to Participatory Practice

Participatory Practice in Space, Place, and Service Design

Importance of participatory practices in problem-solving

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United Kingdom

Engagement with Rural communities

HAT Projects

How rural communities were supported for codesign

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Global

Public Square Year 1

Democratic Society

Prototyping new approaches for citizen participation

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United Kingdom

Guide to working with residents

People Powered Places

Working with existing communities for engagement in planning and housing

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United Kingdom

Co-designing Infrastructures

Sarah Bell, Charlotte Johnson, Kat Austen, Gemma Moore, and Tse-Hui Teh

Community collaboration for liveable cities

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Europe

Guidelines for co-creation and co-governance of nature-based solutions

Publication Office of the European Union

This report analyses co-creation and co-governance approaches for Nature Based Solutions in diverse European contexts, presenting best practices and guidelines for researchers and practitioners.

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United Kingdom

Guidance for engaging communities in preparing Design Codes

Place Studio

Practical guidance for local authorities and design professionals on how to fulfil what is now a requirement to engage communities in work on design codes (guides etc.) – and that includes how to ‘pay’ for it!

Comes in two parts – A: Gearing Up and B: Methods and Programme. Both can be downloaded here for free!

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United Kingdom

Engagement Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work

RIBA

RIBA with generous support of the Association of Collaborative Design (ACD) and Sustrans, and supported by the Landscape Institute, have developed an Engagement Overlay to provide guidance on engagement through each RIBA Plan of Work stage to promote best practice and ensure the most successful and collaborative project outcomes.

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Global

IAPP2 - Advancing the practice of public participation

International Association for Public Participation

IAP2 is the preeminent international organisation advancing the practice of public participation. Our mission is to promote and advance public participation / community engagement globally through targeted initiatives that are guided by culturally adaptive standards of practice and core values.

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New Zealand

“Finding Māoritanga”

Olivia Haddon/ Auckland Council

From ACD International Voices Conference 2020 Public art/space as a form of indigenous resistance

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United Kingdom

Evolving design practice: Community Design

Cat Drew, Tatevik Sargsyan & Umi Baden-Powell/ Design Council

From ACD International Voices Conference 2020

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United States of America

The Future of Urbanism is democratic

Joel Mills/ AIA Communities

From ACD International Voices Conference 2020

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United Kingdom

A councillor's workbook on neighbourhood and community engagement

Local Government

Features to help think about the issues of engagement

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United Kingdom

Voice Opportunity Power

ZCD Architects and Grosvenor with the TCPA and Sport England

A Toolkit To Involve Young People In The Making And Managing Of Their Neighbourhoods. Practical guidance on involving young people (11-18)

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United Kingdom

National Standards for Community Engagement

Scottish Community Development Centre

Good-practice principles for community engagement

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United Kingdom

Engagement and nature-based solutions

Community Engagement for Nature-Based Solutions

Guide for water practitioners related to Nature-Based Solutions

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Global

Her City supports urban development from a girl's perspective

Her City

Urban development from a girl’s perspective

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United States of America

Guide our growth as a group

Black Space Manifesto

Activities from engagement and projects in Black neighborhoods

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United States of America

To Learn and To Share

Association of Community Design

A few articles outlining racism in the built environment and Leaders, Firms, and Voices

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Global

Human-Centred Design

Design Kit

Creative approach to problem-solving

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Global

Community Engagement: a Practitioner's Guide Part 1 and 2

Citizen Lab

Tactics for a long-term engagement plan

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United Kingdom

CLIMANIA

The Climate Action Game project

Board game to raise awareness of climate change

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Global

Digital tools for engagement

Deepr Framework

Impact of small, meaningful moments of connection

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United Kingdom

Resources page

Migrants Bureau

Multi-disciplinary social design and urbanism practice

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United Kingdom

Nottingham's Community Engagement Guide

Community Engagement Guide

Community engagement for projects within the City of Nottingham

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United Kingdom

The Power of Collaboration and Co-Design in Architecture: 2023

Collective Action!

Showcase of collaborative architecture

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United Kingdom

Towards Spatial Justice

DSDHA

A guide for achieving meaningful participation in co-design processes This research emphasis es co-design's role in addressing built environment challenges through spatial justice and collaborative processes.

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Case Studies: Digital Participation 

Case Studies: Digital Participation 

East Street Renewal Project_ Bedminster - Streets Reimagined

High Street Renewal Project | Streets Reimagined

East Street is a historical, and much loved high street located a few miles to the south of Bristol city-centre. Like many high streets of its kind, it has experienced challenges in recent years with the decline in physical retail.

Streets Reimagined were recently commissioned as part of a multi-disciplinary team by Bedminster Business Improvement District, Bristol City Council and developer partners to create a spatial vision for East Street.

Stage 1 of the project has been undertaken before and during the Coronavirus, lockdown using a ‘mixed-method’ approach, including observational analysis, historical research and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. We also developed a digital community engagement platform with an interactive map and user-centred surveys which have generated more than 700 interactions to date.

High Street Renewal Project (ongoing): aims to develop proposals to reimagine a historic high street (www.eaststreetvision.com). Includes an interactive geographical map.

http://www.streets-reimagined.com/#/eaststreetvision/

Placecheck

Community-led plan | Place Studio

We have prepared an approach that seeks to enable people to engage in different ways throughout the project - to enable 'depth' and 'breadth'. We want to balance a range of digital tools to enable people to engage with the project in ways in which they feel are accessible.

 

We are also linking into a few physical events (bearing in mind the restrictions of the pandemic) to give people an opportunity to find out more about the project and to get out into the place to show people how to use the digital tool (i.e. place check) out and about.

 

Breadth: website/stakeholder email list / Place Check map/newsletter

 

Depth: Online focus groups (via zoom) for different stakeholder groups including schools and youth groups / Google forms / Place Check https://placecheck.info/en/ walkabouts - taking the phone or tablet out to populate the digital map whilst out on a walk

https://placestudio.com/

Co-PLACE Nottingham

Co-PLACE | Nottingham City Council

Co-PLACE is an open resource that offers tools, techniques and examples of best practice for Place-making engagement during the design and planning stages. Training and up-skilling sessions and courses are also available for individuals and for organisations.

https://co-place.org/

Placechangers Digital Tool

PlaceChangers |  Digital Tool

PlaceChangers is a digital public engagement platform based on interactive maps and designed to aggregate feedback to facilitate reporting. Our short-term aims are to expand the platform toward many greater value-adds for architects, planners and developers managing a site portfolio. Our long-term aim is to build an industry-standard toolset which becomes part of the best practices of the industry.

PlaceChangers is the digital tool involved. It's been used by several firms for community engagement at various phases, and most commonly to support planning applications. These projects have ranged from needs analyses to town-sized masterplans. The overarching benefit of PlaceChangers is that it's easy to use on mobile or desktop, and easy to share online, meaning developers, architects and local authorities have been able to reach out to people who might not turn up to a public exhibition.

https://placechangers.co.uk/

Shomiround Digital Tool

Shomiround |  Digital Tool

Shomiround is a mobile app designed to facilitate community engagement with environmental issues.

 

Our project aims to increase participation in community engagement in local planning policy decisions by use of recording data on the phone. The ability to photograph, geotag and add audio and text commentary allows a wider spectrum of society to put forward their views, and to have their voices included in discussions that influence their lives.

Our project gathers community feedback on the places that matter to them, during Covid-19 and social distancing. People are looking for greater ways to connect to their built environments and each other, and digital tools facilitate that directly. Our project works with local groups, like historical societies and girl guides, using our app to share personal stories, insights and tours. These tours deepen engagement with planning issues, cultural heritage, migration and demographics and personal and oral histories of place.

We used Shomiround, a bespoke app for art and architecture tours. Users are empowered to provide their own take on the places that are meaningful to them, through a decentralized platform. Users provide their own photos, their own captions and audio recordings in a layered tour. While the app was developed before the pandemic, its structure is suited to gathering meaningful place data in a way that’s compatible with social distancing.

http://shomiround.com/ 

Woodside Making Places | RaeburnFarquharBowen

Woodside Making Places | RaeburnFarquharBowen

The Woodside Making Places project will transform the streets, green-spaces, play areas and courtyards of Woodside; creating an attractive, multi-functional green infrastructure network with a strong sense of place. The project will integrate walking and cycling routes, biodiverse habitats, sustainable rainwater drainage, vibrant doorstep play and edible landscapes.

 

The design will be informed by engagement with the local community. We are asking local people to help guide design decisions and ensure the needs of the local community are identified and met throughout the design process. This first stage of consultation has been to engage positively with the local community, introduce the project aspirations, listen to people’s thoughts on the environment around them, and then to present concept designs for them to comment upon.

 

These initial concept designs are at a preliminary stage, and The Woodside Making Places team are now incorporating feedback from this first stage of consultation to present the updated designs for another period of review in October.

 

Digital tools have been paramount in our engagement process to date, to enable dialogue and communication of information. Online, we created a bespoke consultation website for the project at www.woodsidemakingplaces.org.uk (via SquareSpace).  We used Disquis integrated online discussion board forum and videos we used to help ground the proposals in the existing areas and to help the community orientate themselves on the plans.

 

We also made use of social media, particularly a targeted Facebook group and our own Twitter networks. We are engaging with the PlaceChangers digital platform, which we can integrate within our existing website. We are also able to include a ‘guided tour’ functionality, helping us better explain the proposals in detail.

http://raeburnfarquharbowen.com/

Albion Waterside Regeneration | JTP Partnership

Albion Waterside Regeneration | JTP Partnership

Albion Waterside Regeneration, Gravesend, a brownfield, an urban site that will include new homes, new commercial uses, public space, and pedestrian access to the riverside in a previously inaccessible area. Over the last three months, JTP has sought the local community’s issues, dreams, and ideas on possible uses for the Albion Waterside site and its relationship with the surrounding neighbourhood. All comments received from the community have been fed to the design team as they work up a Vision for the site.

 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have not been able to hold face to face meetings and exhibitions, so we have ensured easily accessible engagement with the community digitally via the Create Streets ‘Communities’ platform in tandem with physical newsletters and a Freephone number.

 

The initial leaflet had a detachable Freepost postcard for people to send in their comments instead of using the online platform. The combined approach of digital, hard copy printed material delivered door to door and Freephone will ensure nobody from the community is excluded from the process by lack of access to technical hardware or skills. Combining digital and printed will ensure the process remains open, transparent and interactive.

https://www.jtp.co.uk/projects/gravesend

Making Together | Automated Architecture

Making Together | Automated Architecture

​Our project 'Making Together' with Knowle West Media Centre and funded by South West Creative Technology Network and Transforming Construction Network Plus aims to bring advanced technologies to the hands of everyday people by creating accessible design software using Augmented Reality and gaming platforms, as well as new modular housing systems, to design and build homes and community spaces.

 

The project broadly aimed to address the fact that construction remains one of the least digitised industries worldwide, heavily reliant on manual labour practices. As automation slowly becomes more widely embraced in construction, due to a significant labour shortage, a primary focus of construction automation R&D has been increasing productivity, which has remained stagnant since the post-war period. This is predominantly done by replacing human labour with robotic labour, requiring significant capital investment. Yet the benefit in short term labour cost savings makes a little notable impact on existing inefficient, production chains.

We developed a browser-based design application in Unity that enabled people without any knowledge of design to access a modular housing system, making design processes that are usually held in the hands of designers and architects available to people without expertise in design or housing. We also created an Augmented Reality application that allowed people to fabricate and assemble the modular housing system in real-life and real-time. We used Mozilla Hubs as a virtual platform for discussing and sharing work, providing those without access to physical exhibition spaces during lockdown to experience the work created in our project.

https://automatedarchitecture.io/projects/the-collaborative-construction-platform

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