Atmospheres of inclusion and identity: designing public open space in superdiverse cities.

This is a collaboration between a landscape architect academic (Rishbeth) and a multidisciplinary design and research practice (We Made That). The challenge that we will address through the secondment opportunity is of 1/ recognising nuanced aspects of belonging and exclusion in multi-ethnic urban public spaces, and 2/ meaningfully responding to this within design practice. The objective of the practice-based research will be to test how theories and methods regarding place 'atmospheres' might be useful in foregrounding, discussing, and responding to diversity in urban design processes.

Who feels they 'belong', where and why? Individual and collective everyday experiences of parks, squares and streets are shaped by many aspects of identity and intersections of these, including race, ethnicity, gender, class and age. The term 'atmospheres' is used to define 'in-betweeness', capturing subtle relationships 'between environmental qualities and human states' (Bohme, 1993). Building on this theory, research has explored emotional, sensory and inter-personal responses within urban spaces (e.g. Pink, S. et al. 2015). However, there is rarely an explicit focus on racial and ethnic diversity, and only emerging work on applications within the build environment (Adams et al., 2020). Rishbeth and We Made That aim to test how this theoretical lens may inform urban design approaches especially in ethnically diverse neighbourhood settings, where it is vital to understand dynamics of social connections and disconnections underpinned by narratives of racism, 'other-ing' or marginalisation.

Research Question: How can urban design and landscape architecture practice become more responsive to cultural and ethnically diverse dimensions of place experience though integrating the theory of atmospheres into the design process?

The research project used will focus on collaboration by Rishbeth in six of We Made That's projects in London, four of these in various stages of the design process and two completed, representing different scales of intervention. She will work closely within the multi-disciplinary design teams, and We Made That's own Urban Research Unit, to develop and test methods for participatory or collaborative site analysis, design interventions and post-occupancy evaluations. Methods will include discussions with practice staff, on-site observations and participation in collaborative stages of the design process, and interviews with stakeholders.

The project outputs will include a digital resource: 'Atmospheres of belonging: integrating intangible experiences and responses into urban design practice' and four stakeholder facing events (two for built environment sector professionals, one for interested general public, one within Higher Education).

We Made That have a practice ethos of radical inclusivity in their projects at planning, design and placemaking scales, working exclusively for the public sector and charities with a headline commitment to delivering public good. The collaboration will enable Rishbeth to explore practical applications to her longstanding research focused on migration, inclusion and public space, and contribute more specifically to the built environment sector through the project outputs.