March - November 2023
Promoting the right to the city through participatory design in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Public Foundation "Urban Forum Kazakhstan"
Public Foundation "Urban Forum Kazakhstan"
Promoting the right to the city through participatory design in Kazakhstan
The sustainable development of the city is impossible without the participation of residents - this thesis is the basis of local democratic self-government. This approach applies to the design of individual objects in a city - buildings, public spaces, and so on. Thanks to the growing public demand for inclusion and transparency, the authorities are forced to make the decision-making process more open. As for the professional sector, it still lacks a proper understanding of the need to involve the townspeople themselves, as an end-users, both in the pre-project stages and in the creation of the project. Participatory design involves discussions in different formats in order to develop the most optimal project, taking into account the interests of all participants in the process.
The book "Architecture as Participation" by Hofmann is a milestone publication with a theoretical background and a collection of case studies detailing participatory design methods. This book is translated into Russian and Kazakh for the first time and might become a practical guide on the subject not only for the academic community and professionals, but also for the public.
The sustainable development of the city is impossible without the participation of residents - this thesis is the basis of local democratic self-government. This approach applies to the design of individual objects in a city - buildings, public spaces, and so on. Thanks to the growing public demand for inclusion and transparency, the authorities are forced to make the decision-making process more open. As for the professional sector, it still lacks a proper understanding of the need to involve the townspeople themselves, as an end-users, both in the pre-project stages and in the creation of the project. Participatory design involves discussions in different formats in order to develop the most optimal project, taking into account the interests of all participants in the process.
The book "Architecture as Participation" by Hofmann is a milestone publication with a theoretical background and a collection of case studies detailing participatory design methods. This book is translated into Russian and Kazakh for the first time and might become a practical guide on the subject not only for the academic community and professionals, but also for the public.
Overall objective:
Strengthening the right of citizens to the city and participation in decision-making processes that affect their living and living environment through the promotion of ideas and methods of participatory design in Kazakhstan through the translation the book “Architecture is Participation” of the famous German architect Susanne Hofmann into Russian and Kazakh languages, it publication and dissemination in Central Asia.
Project objectives
- Increase the access of urban civil society activists, representatives of local administration, the professional community, the academy and future specialists to high-quality knowledge about modern democratic design practices through translation the book “Architecture is Participation” by Susanne Hofmann into Russian and Kazakh languages, it publication and public presentation;
- Initiating a public discourse on the importance of involving citizens in the processes of designing changes in the urban environment, stimulating public demand for the introduction of such practices through conducting a master-class by Susanne Hofmann in Almaty (Kazakhstan);
- Transfer of knowledge and competencies, building the capacity of local specialists, officials and activists through dissemination the book “Architecture is Participation” by Susanne Hofmann in countries of Central Asia.