Copenhagen-based SLA Architects are members of the H2020-funded URBiNAT Consortium which is committed to the promotion of NBS and the creation of Healthy Corridors in 7 cities across Europe (2018 - 2023)

1. EXPERIENCE WITH AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON
USER INVOLVEMENT

2. 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

3. SUPPORT AND DEVELOP
LOCAL INITIATIVES
1.
Rather than reinventing the wheel when
initiating an urban revitalization project,
planners and developers should support and
link strategies to already existing initiatives
– both national and municipal strategies and
projects, but also local ones. When dealing
with citizen-initiated projects, this approach
is called social innovation. It differs from
other participation methods by involving the
planner in the citizens’ work, and not the other
way around. The fundamental idea behind the
approach is to create a development that is
rooted in the local community. By supporting
and developing initiatives and creating synergies
with other citizen-initiated projects, planners
and developers can foster a sustainable
development with huge impact on the local area
and its residents, both socially, physically and
economically.

4. COMMUNICATION IS KEY
2.
Changing the places where people live can create
feelings of insecurity, skepticism and even
resistance. Therefore, communication is key.
From the beginning, provide residents with a
clear overview of the project (goals, expected
outputs, project owners, etc.) and the process
(what will happen when, how long will it take,
etc.). Let residents know when and where they
can get more information, and when they can
be heard or get involved. Make it clear from the
beginning what can be influenced, and what
cannot. People will more often get frustrated
about broken promises and expectations
than about limitations in the extent of their
influence.
Throughout the process, let residents know how
their inputs will be/have been used in the overall
project. Have feedback-meetings, where design
choices and their background are presented and
explained.

5. • Be clear about what can be influenced when
• Consider who should be involved about what –
it isn’t necessary for everyone to participate
at the same time. To the contrary, some
people need special attention and methods
to be involved, such as children or socially
marginalized people, while other people
may only be interested in contributing to
specific parts of the project. Map possible
stakeholders, groups and people in the area
and consider how the get them involved –
where can you meet them, what is important
to them?
• Consider forming an advisory group of
residents that can be consulted on a regular
basis. Through continuous involvement of a
smaller group, the group will build knowledge
and expertise to better represent residents’
interests throughout the project.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
3.
Over the last few decades, a re-emerged focus
on user/citizen involvement has resulted in a
philosophy, where ‘you can never have too much
involvement’. However, this approach creates a
risk of involvement becoming an end in itself,
thereby diminishing the focus on making user
involvement matter for the overall quality of the
end result. At the same time, it runs the risk of
creating ‘involvement fatigue’. This is especially
true of socioeconomically disadvantaged
neighborhoods, which are often subject to several
different revitalization and/or renovation projects
simultaneously or in close succession.
People are willing to participate when it feels
relevant but get frustrated when the process is
bureaucratic, feels irrelevant, or if the goal and
output is not clear.

6. TAKE PEOPLE SERIOUSLY
- NOT LITERALLY
4.
Local residents are experts when it comes to the
neighborhood, it’s life, qualities and challenges.
Their knowledge is of the utmost importance
to create a successful project with a positive
impact in the neighborhood. However, it is not
the responsibility of residents to create viable
design solutions.
Layman’s spontaneous design choices are often
an expression of a deeper-lying need or wish
rather than an ironbound opinion of appropriate
design solutions. When discussing design with
end-users, designers should provide expertise,
know-how and consultation to ensure that the
final result will meet the actual needs of the
community.
Involvement should create formats that
encourage sharing of knowledge between
designer and residents/users – and it should be
about content rather than form.

7. DEFINE GOALS - AND USE
METHODS ACCORDINGLY
5.
Be clear about what you want to achieve –
and design methods accordingly. Often, the
involvement process will have several different
goals, such as: Creating ownership of the project
among residents, creating understanding of
the process and the project, prioritizing and
qualifying ideas, and creating better solutions
that accommodate people’s needs. Each of these
goals require different methods.

8. MAKE INVOLVEMENT MATTER
6.
Making involvement matter is very much a
question of process. Coordinating involvement
processes with other parts of the project is vital
to ensuring that inputs from users/residents will
be implemented in design solutions.

9. 3 CASES

10. GELLERUP CITY PARK
Gellerup is a socioeconomically disadvantaged
social housing neighborhood in Aarhus. As part
of an overall transformation project, we have
created a park for residents and visitors alike.
The overall goal was to create value for residents,
whose knowledge of the area and wishes for the
future have been the framework for design.
Understanding local life, cherished places,
activities and traditions, challenges and
insecurities as well as hopes for the future is
crucial to creating a succesful design. Therefore,
residents were involved early on to give designers
a solid basis to work with. Throughout the
process, resident groups provided feedback on
design.

11. HANS TAVSEN’S PARK
Hans Tavsen’s Park is an old park given a new design, making it
able to handle large amounts of rain water during cloud burst
and better at accommodating the needs of locals the rest of the
year.
The park has to hold a lot of different functions - two
playgrounds, a sports field, two schoolyards and the equivalent
of 7 olympic swimming pools for storm water, while still
maintaining an identity as a local ‘backyard’ to residents.
Therefore, an advisory group made up of local residents
representative of the neighborhood has been formed. The group
is following the project closely and participates in meetings
with the design team, the municipality and other stakeholders.
Getting to know each other, the project and the many
considerations going in to it, the advisory group is able to reach
informed compromises while still representing the interests of
the community.
The advisory group was established by an open sign-up process
or by a carefully selection of members of the community.
Before anyone else was involved in the process of transforming
Hans Tavsen’s Park the local residents were given the task to
bring up abstract concepts for their future park.

12. TINGBJERG
Tingbjerg is a social housing neighborhood on
the northern outskirts of Copenhagen. SLA is
currently making a new masterplan for how to
build several hundred new dwellings in a way
that will positively impact the neighborhood as a
whole.
Being a socioeconomically disadvantaged
neighborhood, Tingbjerg has been subject to
several different development strategies over
recent years. As a consequence, residents are
weary of participating without concrete results.
The massive transformation of the neighborhood
has also created insecurity about the future
among residents. Communication, therefore, is
key, as is connecting the tranformation project
with already existing strategies and resident-
initiated projects, such as the local common
vegetable garden.

13. PROCESS

14. USERS CHOOSING BETWEEN PRE-DEFINED SOLUTIONS
USERS INFLUENCING AND SHAPING SOLUTIONS
Design
Involvement
Involvement Result
ResultDesign

15. Any involvement process should be adapted to
the individual project. However, the following
model presents important milestones and the
interdependence between elements in a basic layout.
Preliminary research
INSIGHTS
Insights with importance
for design are gathered
and analyzed
START UP
MEETING
Introductory
meeting informing
about the project
and the process
Interviews, city walks, discus-
sions and workshops with locals
Preliminary design prototypes based
on local inputs and knowledge
CO-DESIGN WORKSHOP
Neighbourhood meeting
to discuss design. The
meeting is based on
knowledge and insights
gained
Prepare co-design
workshop
MAPPING & CONTACT
• Identify key
stakeholders, groups
and players within
the area
• Contact and make
arrangements
with locals and
stakeholders who
can contribute
knowledge in
research phase.
• Set up advisory
group.
Continuous discussions, co-creation and feedback
from possible advisory group
KNOWLEDGECOLLABORATIONDESIGNCOMMUNICATIONCO-IMPL.
Design Final design
DIALOGUE MEETING
Presentation of design
and how insights and
inputs from residents
have been implemented.
Prepare dialog
meeting
CO-
IMPLEMENTATION
Can be part of the
construction phase,
either on a voluntary
base or through job
creation
FINALDESIGN
INVOLVEMENT PROCESS