Colloquium announcement
Faculty of Engineering Technology
Department Design, Production and Management
Master programme Industrial Design Engineering
As part of his / her master assignment
Meijs, A.E.F. (Annika)
will hold a speech entitled:
Transforming Relations: A research-through-design study on practical conditions of infrastructuring in participatory urban planning
Date | 10-10-2025 |
Time | 12:00 |
Room | Z109 (Horst) |
Summary
Within this project I examine the practical conditions of design tools to enable more power-balanced participation in participatory urban planning projects. Drawing inspiration from the concept of infrastructuring, the study focusses on relationship (trans)formation between stakeholders. It is revealed how current design thinking-based approaches influence the dynamic between citizens, municipalities, and design researchers. This dynamic shows relevance in light of a greater municipal shift towards participation and citizen-led initiatives, a shift catalysed by the 2025 Dutch Right-to-Challenge policy.
The research was conducted from within a design research agency and draws on a case study about the impact of EV-charging infrastructure on public space. The relational dynamics are examined through an iterative process, drawing from ethnographic observations and action research practices.
Through the research done, several conditions about how design tools influence relational dynamics surface. First off, the value of design tools emerges when stakeholders actively use them to interact through situated use in familiar contexts, rather than through representing information. The process of organizing the situated use of design tools surfaces underlying values and relational dynamics. It is through the periodical gatherings, which discuss practical issues, that these dynamics are transformed. Consequently, the design of tools in such moments should go beyond functioning as conduits of represented information. Rather, focus should extent to facilitating spaces of interaction where practical issues are discussed and worked through. The designed tools are then aimed at action, as they scaffold the co-creation of shared perspectives.
Building upon these insights, a working ritual was designed to support design agencies in enabling stakeholders to take responsibility and create a sense of shared ownership. It entails three main steps: set a clear goal, allow input from different perspectives, and transform those perspectives into a shared one through dedicated scaffolds. The ritual is shaped into a visual overview that functions as a boundary object between stakeholders. Rather than attempting to explicitly balance power through a physical tool, the ritual creates conditions for stakeholders to actively discuss perspectives, negotiate differences, and co-create outcomes. These conditions can be embedded in future projects as it carries design principles of collaborative action into practice.
Assessment committee |
chair Signature d.d. |
|
Prof.dr.ir. M.C. van der Voort Dr. J. van Dijk Dr. J. da Costa Junior Lianne Daan |
(chair) (supervisor) (external member) (mentor from company) |