Designing for wellbeing
Designing for wellbeing
Designing for wellbeing
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uses and to share local knowledge. The design interventions had a key<br />
role in creating social <strong>wellbeing</strong> that enabled the introduction of locals<br />
to locals, and brought <strong>for</strong>th the power of individuals and local groups to<br />
the rest of the community.<br />
Intervening in suburban areas using social design and participatory<br />
approaches helps to break the ice between people and create a shared<br />
space where strangers become familiar. Moreover, designing <strong>for</strong> <strong>wellbeing</strong><br />
through design interventions can help to map and test what kind of activities<br />
can be carried out in neighbourhoods and how people from different<br />
communities can contribute to them. For example, children and youth<br />
together with seniors can have a role in producing cultural activities that<br />
create <strong>wellbeing</strong> in neighbourhoods.<br />
Designers can have a key role in initiating actions, activating places and<br />
engaging citizens. They can facilitate events, situations and spontaneous<br />
interactions and they can make local knowledge visible. Designers have<br />
the potential to become like social workers, enabling people with design<br />
methods, tools and approaches to make things happen. Furthermore, they<br />
can create design strategies <strong>for</strong> suburban <strong>wellbeing</strong>. Above all, designers<br />
make things and they make things happen, they create environments<br />
where experiences take place and which can be told and explored later.<br />
Designers can have an essential role in revitalising places and communities.<br />
With stronger synergy and collaboration between design universities,<br />
neighbourhoods and the public sector there could be the beginning of a<br />
truly social design application, embedding design <strong>for</strong> <strong>wellbeing</strong> in our<br />
everyday urban life.<br />
124 · Design interventions <strong>for</strong> <strong>wellbeing</strong> in neighbourhoods