This interdisciplinary and international project aims to test and inquire about new approaches to public space designing and planning; specifically, the potentials of co-designing for spatial justice, health, and wellbeing. Dr. Julita Skodra and Dr. Stefanie Dreger from Instititute of Public health and Nursing Research (IPP) develop with policymakers, academics, and practitioners including architects, urban designers, public health experts, engagement facilitators and public realm experts a strategic guidance for co-design at local governance level. The London and Bremen teams build upon the ‘Towards Spatial Justice: A guide for meaningful participation in co-design processes’research. The teams test co-design guidance and tools of the report through a series of peer reviews and live-project testing.

In partnership with the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Regeneration Team the Team from IPP test and evaluate the co-design framework and seek best practice from the field. This project dovetails with the emerging guidance on commissioning co-design processes at the GLA, and recommendations from the suite of Good Growth by Design guidance which allude to co-design as a central methodology in addressing different types of spatial justice – including, but not limited to Gender Inclusion and Women’s Safety in the Public Realm, Children and Young People, Designing for Disability and Requirements for Social Infrastructure.

In partnership with the City of Bremen, the Team from IPP discuss Bremen’s development context and necessary conditions to employ a co-design approach for healthy and equitable urban development. Here also they test and evaluate the co-design framework and seek best practice from the field.In Bremen project dovetails with the guidance „Bremen! Lebenswert – urban – vernetzt“, which indicates to collaborative approaches and community involvement in developing a sustainable and just city.

The project will run from 01 April 2023 - 30 July 2023 and is funded by the British Council, Researcher Links Challenge Grants UK-Germany. External project partners: Jane Wong, University College London (UCL) and Yip Siu, Greater London Authority (GLA).

Dr. Julita Skodra
University of Bremen
Faculty 11 Human and Health Sciences
Institute of Public Health und Nursing Research
Department of Social Epidemiology
Mail: jskodraprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
https://www.ipp.uni-bremen.de/departments/social-epidemiology/en/