Participatory design as a tool for sustainable regional development

Abstract

Globalization changes our world too quick and regions can’t keep up. Copying mechanisms affects crafted products and architecture and creates specific signs for each region. Understanding that, we can follow cultural concepts and transform them to fit current era and sustain local identity within the communities. Comparing with evolution, community attachment as part of social sustainability has the same self-regulated mechanisms. Adaptation process can be achieved in different ways, but only few are truly sustainable. To restore sense of community and reconnect local people to their village on deeper level, participatory approach was tried. Process and tools well known from urban areas were applied on certain Slovak villages. This demanding process comparing to cities should have sustainable results. Methods proposed by us will have several outcomes like networking, open communication and in successful result can be inspiration to other villages and activists to try this approach elsewhere. This time demanding activity can help to support local people and show them how to coordinate themselves in decision making process. Bottom up approach increase self-esteem and by place-making small public intervention can help with communication with local municipality. In this process is designer as facilitator of multidisciplinary innovation project and must use his/her creativity to handle many challenges.

Keywords

• participatory design
• social sustainability
• rural
• community
• place attachment