Participatory Design as a Strategy for Addressing Urban Loneliness among Young Adults
Authors
Campos Vetencourt, Cristina Carola ; Pancerz, Dominika Joanna
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-06-06
Pages
166
Abstract
This thesis investigates how participatory design can be used to address urban loneliness among young adults in Copenhagen. In collaboration with the Østerbro Local Committee (the Good Square project), the work seeks to integrate health considerations into urban design by creating dialogue across young residents and cross-sector professionals. Positioned as Sustainable Design Engineers, the authors adopt a socio-cultural approach and use the Double Diamond framework and Actor-Network Theory to guide research and design. The study employs qualitative methods: a literature and state-of-the-art review, field studies of local public spaces, an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals, academics, environmental and loneliness organizations, architects, and urban planners, and the development and testing of a participatory, game-based tool in a workshop with young adults (including at Nordisk Kollegium). Early findings indicate that gamification can facilitate conversations about loneliness, help destigmatize the topic, and surface young people’s matters of concern in ways that strengthen existing networks, forge new connections, and inform the planning of outdoor urban spaces. The thesis thus argues for more participatory practices that incorporate human perspectives and relationships with the urban environment to promote health and well-being in the city.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan deltagende design kan bruges til at adressere urban ensomhed blandt unge voksne i København. Med afsæt i et samarbejde med Østerbro Lokaludvalg (projektet The Good Square) søger projektet at integrere sundhedshensyn i byrumsudvikling ved at skabe dialog på tværs af unge og fagprofessionelle. Som bæredygtige designingeniører anlægger forfatterne en sociokulturel tilgang og anvender Double Diamond-rammen og Actor-Network Theory til at strukturere analyse og design. Arbejdet bygger på kvalitative metoder: litteraturstudie og state-of-the-art, feltundersøgelser af lokale byrum, et online spørgeskema, semistrukturerede interviews med sundhedsprofessionelle, forskere, miljø- og ensomhedsorganisationer, arkitekter og byplanlæggere samt udvikling og afprøvning af et deltagerdrevet, spilbaseret værktøj i en workshop med unge (bl.a. på Nordisk Kollegium). Projektets foreløbige resultater viser, at gamificering kan lette samtaler om ensomhed, afstigmatisere emnet og synliggøre unges “matters of concern” på en måde, der kan styrke eksisterende netværk, skabe nye forbindelser og informere planlægning af udendørs byrum. Specialet peger dermed på, at mere deltagende praksisser kan fremme sundhed og trivsel i byen ved at inddrage menneskers relationer til det urbane miljø i designprocessen.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]
Keywords