Editing Participatory design (section)

=== Nature of participation ===
Major international organizations such as [[Project for Public Spaces]] create opportunities for rigorous participation in the design and creation of [[Location (geography)|place]], believing that it is the essential ingredient for successful environments. Rather than simply consulting the public, PPS creates a platform for the community to participate and [[co-design]] new areas, which reflect their intimate knowledge.  Providing insights, which independent design professionals such as architects or even local government planners may not have.

Using a method called Place Performance Evaluation or (Place Game), groups from the community are taken on the site of proposed development, where they use their knowledge to develop design strategies, which would benefit the community.
"Whether the participants are schoolchildren or professionals, the exercise produces dramatic results because it relies on the expertise of people who use the place every day, or who are the potential users of the place."<ref>Projects for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/info/services/our_approach/building_the_vision {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202100501/http://www.pps.org/info/services/our_approach/building_the_vision |date=2008-12-02 }} ''Building The Vision'' May 15, 2009</ref>  This successfully engages with the ultimate idea of participatory design, where various stakeholders who will be the users of the end product, are involved in the design process as a collective.

Similar projects have had success in Melbourne, Australia particularly in relation to contested sites, where design solutions are often harder to establish. The Talbot Reserve in the suburb of St. Kilda faced numerous problems of use, such as becoming a regular spot for [[sex workers]] and drug users to congregate. A Design In, which incorporated a variety of key users in the community about what they wanted for the future of the reserve allowed traditionally marginalised voices to participate in the design process.  Participants described it as 'a transforming experience as they saw the world through different eyes.' (Press, 2003, p.&nbsp;62).  This is perhaps the key attribute of participatory design, a process which, allows multiple voices to be heard and involved in the design, resulting in outcomes which suite a wider range of users. It builds empathy within the system and users where it is implemented, which makes solving larger problems more holistically. As planning affects everyone it is believed that "those whose livelihoods, environments and lives are at stake should be involved in the decisions which affect them" (Sarkissian and Perglut, 1986, p.&nbsp;3). [[C. West Churchman]] said [[systems thinking]] "begins when first you view the world through the eyes of another".<ref>Churchman, C.W. (1968). The systems approach. New York: Delacorte Press. p. 231. {{ISBN?}}</ref>