Participatory Design in Schools: Development of an innovative methodology for public space design in and around schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Participatory Design in Schools: Development of an innovative methodology for public space design in and around schools

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

Over the past decade, there is a shift towards more democratic and participatory decision-making processes. Among other institutions, EU promotes and develops participatory governance by meaningfully involving relevant stakeholders in all phases of the policy cycle from the identification of the problem to policy evaluation and recognising the added value of such engagement (2015 EU Youth Report). This “participatory turn” is based on the various citizen and social groups’ consultation/participation methods developed in the last decades. Yet, the process has been greatly enhanced by the explosion of new technologies and social networking tools.

In parallel, architects, urban planners and designers of public space have developed Participatory Design tools and methods. Yet, the current challenge at European level is to include Participatory Design in the context of Co-Design, Open Design Processes and Democratic Innovation. In other words, to develop a different approach to designing the public space, which arises from (and results in) people’s involvement, openness and democratisation.

Schools can play a vital role in Participatory Design process of public space design in and around the schools. By co-creating public space and learning spaces, users (including students, teachers, parents and local authorities) engage more with an “intimate place”, a place that is theirs. Thus, school environment becomes friendlier and learning process more familiar and involving. Furthermore, Participatory Design becomes a new pedagogical experience and an experience of applied geography based on community building within school units.

INPAD project aims to pilot the design and practice of an innovative methodology for Participatory Design in schools for public space design in and around schools, moving towards more complex and long-term engagement of different and heterogeneous stakeholders from the entire school community in the strategic and management processes of public space design, throughout larger “ecologies” of social and technological transformation.

The specific objectives of the project are to:
– develop the concept of Participatory Design for school education focused on the planning and design a strategic and management processes for public space design (in and around schools).
– provide high quality instruments and tools for Participatory Design in schools.
– encourage the entire community (teachers, students, parents, local authorities) to raise awareness about the importance of Participatory Design of public space design in order to make the school environment more friendly and familiar with the learning process.
– disseminate the concept of Participatory Design in the community, involving key actors (parents, students, teacher, local authorities, NGOs etc).

The target groups of the project are:
-Students: the introduction of design, architecture and a new way to teach geography in school curriculum as it provides students with new digital skills
-Teachers: they will be trained on facilitating Participatory Design projects
-Schools: they will have high quality instruments and tools to implement innovative Participatory
Design for public space around the schools
-Local communities: they will be part of the process of creating a better school environment in their community
-Public administration/ stakeholders: they will be involved in a growing network of activities promoting
Participatory Design in and around schools

The main project results are:
-Teachers’ guide on Participatory Design for public space design, offering practical guidelines and approaches to teachers for creating, putting in practice and reviewing Participatory Design projects in schools.
-Open Educational Software for Participatory Design, a unique system for students (firstly) and other users (secondly) that will allow participatory planning & design implementation of courtyard and public space around the school.
-Compendium of good practices, a collection of stories, in illustrated way, of implemented pilot implementations of Participatory Design in schools.
The expected impact of the project is to:
-Improve different skills in teachers and students (IT, collaboration, co-design, dialogue and codecision).
-Provide the schools with high quality tools and skills for Participatory Design.
-Address the challenge of involving different stakeholders (students, teachers, parents and local authorities) in the development of an inclusive Participatory Design for public space design around schools.
-Strengthen, through a pilot implementation in selected schools, a wider socio-technical holistic approach in the development of Participatory Design for public space design, in order to create sustainable change.

The project will be implemented by 7 partners from 4 countries: two universities (France and Spain), two schools (Belgium and Spain), one social enterprise (Greece), one NGO (Belgium) and and one training & ICT enterprise (Greece).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 295628 Eur

Project Coordinator

CY Cergy Paris Université & Country: FR

Project Partners

• UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA
• Sint-Lodewijkscollege
• COLEGIO DIOCESANO PABLO VI
• AINTEK SYMVOULOI EPICHEIRISEON EFARMOGES YPSILIS TECHNOLOGIAS EKPAIDEFSI ANONYMI ETAIREIA
• Sineterismos Ergazomenon COMMONSPACE
• CreaD