Making sense of assets: Community asset mapping and related approaches for cultivating capacities

This working paper critically reviews some main aspects from asset based approaches highlights key strengths and weaknesses for future research/development. Drawing on a large body of reports and relevant literature we draw on different theoretical traditions and critiques, as well as practices and processes embedded within a broad range of approaches including, widely acknowledged frameworks such Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), Appreciative Inquiry (AI), Sustainable Livelihood Approaches (SLA) and Community Capitals Framework (CCF). Although these are presented as distinct approaches, there is a sense of evolution through them and many of them overlap (in terms of both theories and methodologies). We also include emerging frameworks, including geographical, socio-spatial, visual and creative approaches, stemming from a number of projects within AHRC’s Connected Communities programme and additional collaborations

Collective Design Anticipation

Design and anticipation are two closely related concepts. While previous research has focussed on exploring this relationship, less attention has been paid on uncovering the collective nature of design anticipation. The paper offers a theoretical framework to account for collective design anticipation and the conditions that make it possible. In specific, the paper discusses the notion of a design anticipation space, which embodies temporal and semantic dimensions, and discusses conditions for collective design anticipation through the concept of boundary objects. The results are derived through an abductive methodology that combines theoretical investigations with reflections on empirical work in the wild

Co-design As Collaborative Research

Theodore Zamenopoulos and Katerina Alexiou discuss the field of co-design and its underpinning theories and methods. They argue that Design as a process is always concerned with addressing a challenge or opportunity to create a better future reality, and explore how co-design has evolved as a process of ensuring that those with the life experiences, expertise and knowledge are actively involved in these making new tools, products and services. They observe how the participatory turn in this field has been concerned with both changing the objects of design – whether this is services or objects – and with the changing processes of designing itself. They highlight four major traditions and their distinctive approaches, before exploring the politics and practices of co-design through case studies of work

Methods for researching and building capacity in codesign among non-experts

The paper presents two case studies of methods that were used in practice with non-expert co-design groups. The methods draw on asset-based community development principles to fulfil a two-fold objective: first, to study co-design (derive knowledge about co-design), and second, to support co-design practice by building the capacity of those groups to carry out design tasks. The paper discusses how the two objectives are met in each case, and derives some general observations about co-design practice in the context of non-expert groups and the capabilities that need to be supported or nurtured. The paper contributes to the development of design research methods that have an impact on societal change

Valuing Community-Led Design

The ideas and practice of community-led design, participatory design or co-design have a long-standing tradition, especially in the context of urban design, planning and architecture. Community-led design goes beyond the one-dimensional process of consultation, helping involve people in decision-making throughout the design process, from visioning to implementation. There are many benefits from this approach, from improving civic participation and ensuring more democratic outcomes, to creating a strong sense of community and strengthening people’s attachment to their place and to each other, to producing more sustainable solutions. However, despite this tradition, community-led design is not a mainstream practice. An essential part of this issue is that the benefits of the approach are not thoroughly understood, measured or disseminated. The project aimed to grapple with this issue, and explore how a better case for community-led design can be made. The objective was to collate, articulate and disseminate evidence about the value of community-led design and bring the relevant stakeholders together to share good practice and form a research agenda for the future. The project team delivered a series of focus groups and creative workshops with multiple stakeholders. It also created Community Design Exchange a bespoke social network site for sharing stories and showcasing achievements of community-led design

Why designing may help treat psychosis

The paper presents some initial theoretical insights on why designing may help people with experience of psychosis. The paper reviews how psychosis has been discussed in the literature from a phenomenological point of view, and how it links to designing by looking at the themes of agency and embodiment. These insights are then used to formulate the hypothesis that the experience of designing, and design iteration, may pose a continuous force (and have an indirect effect) towards the coupling, or pulling together, of dimensions of experience such as perception, cognition and action which in psychosis are sometimes experienced as particularly fragmented. The paper contributes to our understanding of design and introduces the idea of design as treatment for the development of design projects to support mental health

FIRST AID TRAINING AT EARLY CHILDHOOD: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE

By teaching first aid at school, the number of bystanders can be increased. Researchers are attempting to identify effective educational methods to teach first aid to children. The literature review examines published studies to provide information on the content of kindergarten first aid training. MEDLINE, Scopus, and ERIC were the major databases searched for related literature published between January 2003 and November 2022. The first aid interventions were varied in content and aimed to improve students' first aid knowledge, skills, and attitude. Combining both theoretical and 'hands-on' training components into the education process was discovered to be a critical factor in delivering material. More research is needed to determine the role of first aid education in kindergarten, as well as interventions for knowledge and skill retention.  Article visualizations

Empowering design practices: exploring relations between architecture, faith, society and community

This paper presents and discusses some key insights derived from a collaborative research project called Empowering Design Practices. The project brought together a multidisciplinary team of academic and non-academic partners to explore the processes, resources and environments that support community-led design practice in the context of historic places of worship. The paper discusses barriers and opportunities surrounding the development and adaptation of historic places of worship as community hubs, and proposes a set of approaches that can help empower those looking after those places to re-imagine and design the future of their places while respecting complex faith, architectural, societal and community values

Design Capital: Unearthing the Design Capabilities of Community Groups

The paper focusses on exploring the design capabilities of community groups. It formulates a framework which synthesises Amartya’s Sen capability approach with asset-based approaches to community development, to propose an original view of design capability as a collective attribute, pertaining to the interaction between individual skills and knowledge and the socio-cultural environment within which they are developed. The paper further uses the seven capitals framework as an analytical tool to explore the actual design capabilities of community/citizen groups as they unfold in the context of a design project, and from their own perspectives. The analysis reveals a new type of capital, design capital, which refers to the collective command of converting assets into new constructs that enhance a community’s capabilities to achieve what they value to do or be. The proposed capability perspective of design frames design practice in relation to power and freedom, placing emphasis on valuation as a driver and outcome of the design process, and positioning professional designers as enablers acting within a network of human, social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental assets