Prototyping dialogues: An exploration of how to create ongoing resident involvement in urban development
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Prototyping dialogues is a degree project is a collaboration with Göteborgs Stad’s Stadsmiljöförvaltningen, as part of the city’s long-term initiative to develop Svarte mosse into a city park. Our shared ambition was to reactivate Svarte mosse. During the early phase of the municipality’s work, citizen dialogues were facilitated laying the groundwork for participatory strategies. However, these dialogues ended, and the participatory dimension was lost, revealing the need for a long-term engagement between residents and the municipality. We identified that the municipality’s current tools for citizen involvement are not designed for long-term engagement.
Our project answers to this gap by exploring how participatory design methods can bridge the gap between residents lived experiences and the municipality’s urban development processes. Using methods such as collaborative prototyping, workshops, walk-and-talk interviews, and open dialogues, we have worked to support continuous engagement in Svarte mosse. Materials such as cloth, stickers, and benches allowed us to create shared, tangible platforms for expression.
Each intervention aimed to foreground local knowledge, spark conversation, and test ways residents can influence the development of their surroundings. These facilitated informal yet impactful interactions where ideas, memories, and values were shared and visualised. We collected stories, needs, and aspirations that pointed toward the importance of an evolving process that could adapt as the community changed.
Our iterative process embraced adaptability, acknowledging that places and communities evolve. By positioning participation as the core of our design practice, we highlighted the importance of sustained dialogue, not just consultation. The project challenges current models of public engagement and calls for a shift from one-off input toward ongoing collaboration between residents and municipalities in shaping urban futures.
Hanna Klarqvist and Inês Moreira
@mare_designstudio
