Hong Kong is a city where the ‘developer hegemony’ dominates the direction of land
use and the discourse of space. As part of social development, it becomes crucial to
insist that city should be a living environment for all and every dweller has equal right to
the city. Children and youth are agents of change, interactions, innovation and
democracy, their role as dwellers of the city should never be neglected. However,
children and youth are seldom consulted or participate in the design of the city space,
nor in research that is about their living environment. Based on the theories of
Participatory Action Research (PAR), we have conducted a number of research
projects, which aim at enabling younger citizens (aged 6 to 19) to offer views and
suggestions in the design of living environment (interior and public space). In this
paper, the participatory design methods (imaginative drawing, photovoice and visual
simulation modeling workshops) we have used will be presented. We will bring forward
critical reflections on their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their capacity of
empowering the participants.
Include Asia 2013: Global Challenges and Local Solutions in Inclusive Design, Hong Kong
use and the discourse of space. As part of social development, it becomes crucial to
insist that city should be a living environment for all and every dweller has equal right to
the city. Children and youth are agents of change, interactions, innovation and
democracy, their role as dwellers of the city should never be neglected. However,
children and youth are seldom consulted or participate in the design of the city space,
nor in research that is about their living environment. Based on the theories of
Participatory Action Research (PAR), we have conducted a number of research
projects, which aim at enabling younger citizens (aged 6 to 19) to offer views and
suggestions in the design of living environment (interior and public space). In this
paper, the participatory design methods (imaginative drawing, photovoice and visual
simulation modeling workshops) we have used will be presented. We will bring forward
critical reflections on their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their capacity of
empowering the participants.
Include Asia 2013: Global Challenges and Local Solutions in Inclusive Design, Hong Kong
