Co-Design
Co design is about creating landscapes with people rather than for them.
It brings the insight, experience and priorities of the community into the heart of the design process, making the outcome more relevant, more resilient and more meaningful.
When people are invited to shape their own spaces, the result is a landscape that reflects real needs and real lives.
It also fosters a sense of ownership and pride, which strengthens community connection and supports the long term success of the space.
Co design is not just a method. It is a mindset that leads to places that feel grounded, inclusive and truly lived in.
What is co-design?
Co-design began in Scandinavian , where designers and communities worked side by side to shape places that reflected real life.
It is a collaborative process that invites the people who use a space to take part in creating it, ensuring the final design feels grounded, relevant and shaped by lived experience.
What value can it add?
As well as helping to design and create meaningful community spaces, co design can strengthen planning applications, especially where a development affects an existing community.
It shows clear engagement, builds trust and reduces risk by ensuring the design responds to real local needs.
Why work with SEVEN?
Co design is my passion. It has taken me across Europe as part of a research project and I have helped lead numerous co-design schemes.
My experience has shown that spaces shaped with people have greater relevance, impact and long term success.
Check out my experience below.
Social Spaces Framework
In 2020 I won the Mark Turnbull Award and received a scholarship to travel across Europe to see first hand how different countries design for communities.
From this experience I developed the Social Spaces Framework, a set of strategies for the conception, establishment and long term success of community spaces.
My findings were presented to the Landscape Institute and they continue to shape how I approach community focused projects today. I believe deeply in the power of communities coming together to claim ownership of a place, and this work remains a core passion of mine.
If you have a community project in mind, we can apply the Social Spaces Framework to it and help a meaningful space take root and grow.
The Co-Design Process
The co-design process is different for every project. If you are interested in exploring a community design project then book yourself in for a free consultation.
