JOB DESCRIPTION

Local governments need to collaborate with residents in shaping urban futures that are just, liveable, and inclusive to all living species. On the other hand, citizens start their own initiatives to address local issues. Many contemporary societal challenges, for example the climate crisis, the fast emergence of AI, or the devastating loss of biodiversity, are so-called wicked problems. Such problems are characterised by their dynamic nature, have multiple problem owners, and do not have one straightforward solution. Co-design, the practice of collaborating and making together, is considered as a suitable approach to dealing with wicked problems. As a result, local governments increasingly draw from this practice when engaging with citizens.
However, enabling a genuine collaborative process in true partnership with residents is not easy. Digital technology opens new ways for residents to be engaged, for example through VR, AR, digital twins, and citizen participation apps. This PhD project will explore how residents and local governments through co-design effectively shape just, liveable, and inclusive urban futures.

Within this broader theme, you can define your problem statement. Examples of topics and questions that you may address:

• Purpose of co-design. Co-design can serve multiple purposes in a collaborative process; to create feasible urban designs, to create speculative imaginaries that spark discussion on what kind of future is desirable, or to cross bridges between local actors. With which intention are co-design practices applied? How to translate citizen input to an urban design in a way that their input is recognised? Does the involvement of citizens lead to better urban designs compared to no involvement? And which application of co-design is supportive towards just, liveable, and inclusive urban futures?
• Using digital approaches in co-design. Face-to-face settings (e.g. workshops) are still the default in co-design. Such settings bring challenges: citizens may not feel comfortable speaking up, or they may not be able to spend the required time and effort to take part. On the other hand, digital processes supported by digital twins, AR or VR may also pose a barrier for citizens to participate. The urban designs presented through such tools often look so realistic that residents feel reluctant to contribute. How can tools be applied to cross bridges rather than increase existing barriers? How can digital tools and analogue approaches be combined to engage a variety of resident groups in urban planning? Which tools support meaningful engagement in planning processes? At which stage?
• Inclusion and exclusion. Each collaborative method creates a dynamic of inclusion and exclusion. Some urban stakeholders and groups are structurally overlooked in urban futures. What about the more-than-human inhabitants of our cities (i.e. animals/plants)? How can their stakes be represented in collaborative practices? In what way can we involve those not at the table and safeguard their interests when urban futures are created? Which skills do citizens and urban planners need to successfully co-design together?

You will explore these topics and questions from a Participatory Design perspective and develop a systematic approach to untangle co-design practices in shaping urban futures. You will engage with, draw from, and integrate multiple scientific disciplines, for example human-computer interaction, urban studies, sociology, design, urban planning, and public administration. Through a critical analysis, you will seek new theoretical and conceptual insights into how contemporary urban co-design practices contribute or potentially hinder just, liveable, and inclusive cities. You will apply, evaluate and assess existing toolkits and processes, to create recommendations for local governments and residents on how to effectively shape just urban futures together.
The successful candidates will join the Urban Studies section at the Department of Urbanism in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. Consisting of a group of highly interdisciplinary scholars, the section studies the interactions between people and their social and built environments, and the effects of urban design on their behaviour.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• A Master’s degree in architecture, spatial/urban planning, interaction design, human-computer interaction or another relevant discipline concerned with co-design and participation;
• Relevant knowledge of participatory design, citizen engagement, civic technology, and/or urban design;
• A strong interest or experience with artistical approaches and/or with digital methods such as AR/VR or digital twinning;
• A strong interest in inclusion, representation, and democracy in citizen participation processes and how design can contribute to this;
• Experience with interdisciplinary research and/or transdisciplinary collaboration, e.g. with civil servants or citizen communities in research;
• Very good presentation, writing, communication and networking skills;
• Proficiency in the written and spoken use of the English language, preferably also Dutch.

Please refer the Job description for details