A new path to citizen collaboration in urban planning

Over the past few months, UCD-led engaged research initiative (opens in a new window)Dundrum by Design has collaborated with the Dundrum community to redefine citizen participation and engagement in urban planning processes.

Throughout November and December, locals were prompted to build on earlier community inputs by voting for 18 Living Streets-related interventions they would like to see in Dundrum. The Living Streets scheme, directed at sustainable mobility and public realm enhancements, aims to make streets greener and connect communities. A total of 455 voting responses were gathered in the pre-draft stage.

For a comprehensive overview of visions for Dundrum’s future, a community 'Minecraft' (computer game) containing a replica of Dundrum was also launched. This gamified approach targeted marginalised voices that are often excluded from urban design processes, despite being just as affected by changes. Open to young people between the ages of 8 and 18, it aims to provide an exciting digital playground that the youth can use to actively engage with the project and share their desires. The server, previously tested in workshops involving 160+ primary school children, will run until late January, when a second community workshop will be held.

Dundrum by Design is a tripartite partnership between UCD’s School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Dundrum community, who are at the centre of it all. Funded by the EU Horizon Probono project, it combines state-of-the-art technical and social innovations for the climate transition. Using Geodesign, a collaborative tool for engaging a wide range of stakeholders, community members offer precise interventions and co-design spaces within Dundrum. Through negotiation, the tool promotes a systems-thinking approach, targeting areas that citizens identify in the project’s early stages, while remaining flexible.

At the same time, the pedagogical aspect of Dundrum by Design added nuance to the project, simulating potential positive change rooted in climate-sensitive contextual revitalisation. Undergraduate and graduate UCD students have been equipped with skills required to navigate real-world scenarios that affect the daily lives of the citizens they design spaces for. Meanwhile, the local authority and community were provided with innovative interventions (like the tactical urbanism intervention during the 'Under the Bridge' Open House Dublin event), updated sustainable development knowledge and a tailored approach to rejuvenate Dundrum’s public realm.

Speaking about the 'Under the Bridge' event, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Councillor and Imagine Dundrum Co-Founder, Anne Colgan said: “I think it’s really helpful that the students would help local people to reimagine what this space could look like if it was a public space because it's very difficult to do that when it's full of buses every day of the week,”

Initiatives such as Dundrum by Design will help to shift urban planning and design towards more community inclusion and engagement, with more focus on critical climate components.