wp2 / DC7

Materialising, visualising and prototyping opportunities and dilemmas to address social conflicts around climate transitions

This research addresses two questions:
1. How can material, public interventions help achieve consensus in diverse local communities to enhance adaptation to climate change in the urban context of Warsaw?
2. What are the characteristics of an effective interdisciplinary approach for enhancing democratic participation in climate change adaptation through urban interventions?

Luina’s doctoral research investigates how co-design methodologies can create more accessible and equitable cooling centres for elderly populations in Warsaw, Poland. The study addresses a gap in Central European climate adaptation by moving beyond traditional top-down consultation approaches to genuine participatory design that includes prototyping and implementation phases.

By engaging older adults – a particularly heat-vulnerable group – as equal partners in designing cooling centre interventions, the research examines whether co-designed facilities better serve community needs compared to traditionally implemented ones. The work advances participatory design theory while generating practical, replicable frameworks for developing climate adaptation infrastructure that addresses power imbalances and centres the voices of vulnerable populations in urban climate planning.

The methodology for the first question is constructive design research. This approach offers a structured system for deriving social, cultural and material sensitivities from design practice, especially making, testing and modifying prototypes. In this method, prototypes play the role of research tools, allowing to conclude of both practical and theoretical nature. The methodology for the second question is a case study of the process of making the intervention designed and tested in Warsaw. The methods are based on practitioner concepts, combining ethnographic notes, field notes from the design and evaluation process, designers-evaluators discussion sessions and workshops.

University of the Arts London (UK) (3 months) to develop and test creative design approaches in the context of local government activity to engage citizens in addressing climate transitions.
City Council of Warsaw (Poland) (6 months) with a mentor to share, test and validate visual or media prototypes developed through practice research within a citizen engagement project activity as part of the city’s transitions related activities.