shelidonSeptember 10, 2024Leave a Comment

Yesterday we saw how a sandbox videogame, Minecraft, broke through the educational and social environment and became a significant tool to be used to foster collaboration, facilitate the awareness of certain themes and brainstorm solutions. Today we take a look at a framework that’s more similar to the Design Charrette we saw a couple of days ago. Just keep in mind that tools and frameworks are cross-referencable: you can run a Design Charrette using Lego Serious Play just as much as you can do Enquiry by Design through Minecraft.

What’s Enquiry by Design?

I’m glad you asked.

Enquiry by Design (EbD) emerged as a collaborative urban planning method in the early 2000s, and was notably utilized in Australia, New Zealand, and England with significant case studies beginning around 2001. One of the earliest documented applications was the Bassendean Train Station project near Perth in Australia in 2001, followed by the comprehensive community planning for Port Hedland, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, in 2004.

Deliberative democracy scholar and practitioner Janette Hartz-Karp, Emeritus Professor at Curtin University, defined it as “an intensive, interactive forum, over 2–4 days that aims to produce non-binding urban design and planning visions for complex projects.”

The method gained further recognition in the UK, particularly in healthcare settings, with the first healthcare-focused EbD workshop held at Cherry Knowle in Sunderland at the end of 2003. This workshop was part of a broader initiative to test the applicability of EbD in the National Health Service (NHS) context under the patronage of the King’s Foundation.

More generally, Enquiry by Design (EbD) is a collaborative workshop process aimed at developing sustainable urban design solutions through intensive engagement with various stakeholders. Just like the Design Charrette, this method involves a diverse group of participants, including architects, urban planners, local authorities, community members, and other interest groups.

Objectives and Process (in brief)

The main goals of an Enquiry by Design workshop usually are:

• Raise Awareness: educate participants on best practices in sustainable urban design or steer their behaviour towards more sustainable practices;
• Collaborative Visioning: facilitate the creation of a shared vision for design projects by actively involving stakeholders in the process;
• Iterative Development: allow for real-time feedback and adjustments to design proposals, ensuring they align with community needs and aspirations.

The workshop usually begins with preparatory sessions to gather relevant information and identify key issues. During the workshop, participants work in teams to explore these issues, develop design concepts, and produce a plan that reflects their collective input. The outcomes are typically non-binding but serve as a foundation for future planning processes.

Unique Features

Compared to other frameworks we’ve already explored, Enquiry by Design stresses these key features:

• the Live Environment: immediate feedback is crucial, enabling the technical team to continuously refine designs based on the stakeholder’s input, and this makes Enquiry by Design very similar to the Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) Session;
• Inclusivity: all stakeholders, including lay community members, are involved throughout the process from conceptualization to implementation, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to the outcomes;
• a Tailored Approach: each Enquiry by Design is meant to be unique, adapting to the community’s specific context and needs, enhancing its relevance and effectiveness.

Challenges

During an Enquiry-by-Design (EbD) workshop, several challenges may arise that can impact the effectiveness of the process. These challenges might include:

• Diverse Stakeholder Interests. Participants often come from various backgrounds, including government, community, and technical fields, each with their own priorities and perspectives. Balancing these differing interests can lead to conflicts and hinder consensus-building.
• Communication Barriers. Effective communication is crucial in collaborative settings. Misunderstandings can occur due to varying levels of expertise among participants, which may lead to frustration and disengagement. Ensuring that all participants understand technical jargon and design concepts is essential.
• Time Constraints. EbD workshops are typically intensive and time-limited, often lasting between two to four days. This compressed timeframe can pressure participants to make quick decisions, potentially sacrificing thoroughness and depth in discussions and design exploration.
• Non-Binding Outcomes. Since the results of an EbD workshop are usually non-binding, stakeholders may feel less committed to the outcomes. This can lead to challenges in implementing the proposed designs and solutions, as decision-makers may lack follow-through.
• Preparation and Logistics. Successful EbD workshops require extensive preparation, including gathering relevant data and engaging stakeholders beforehand. Inadequate preparation can result in a lack of focus during the workshop and may lead to unproductive discussions.
• Participant Engagement. Maintaining participant engagement throughout the workshop can be challenging, especially if some attendees are less invested in the process. Ensuring that all voices are heard and valued is critical to fostering a collaborative environment.
• Feedback Integration. The EbD process relies on continuous feedback from participants. However, if the technical team does not adequately integrate this feedback into the design process, it can lead to dissatisfaction among stakeholders and undermine the collaborative spirit of the workshop.

A comprehensive manual on how to organize an Enquiry-by-Design Workshop can be found here. In the next days we’ll briefly walk through the crucial stages. Meanwhile you can take a look at them as presented by Participedia.

The picture in the header is taken from the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit EbD Workshop on Deicke Richard’s website.