Critical Infrastructure Design (CID)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Critical Studies
Abstract
Glasgow is in one of the most difficult socio-economic positions in a generation. 24% of children are living in poverty, and we have a growing understanding of complex, persistent poverty, post-pandemic challenges, and the need for a Just Transition requiring large-scale joined-up policy intervention. Recent research shows that less than 1% of citizens have a meaningful say in the design of their local neighbourhoods. The design and delivery of solutions within Glasgow often remain siloed by department and top-down, with little-to-no citizen involvement, leading to duplication, a lack of buy-in, and overlooking the existing strength of community responses to local problems. Local, citizen-led solutions are required that stimulate citizen participation and act as hubs to solve complex, local challenges with local input to build resilient local systems and infrastructure.
Underlying these issues is a lack of understanding across Glasgow City Council (GCC) and citizenry of the infrastructural underpinnings and interconnectedness of contemporary challenges. To address the challenges through bottom-up solutions requires upskilling across GCC and citizenry, and establishing a joined-up, co-produced mode of solutions development and delivery that creates, improves, and remakes these infrastructures.
The Critical Infrastructure Design project (CID) brings together the PI's expertise in critical infrastructure studies with host Centre for Civic Innovation's (CCI) extensive citizen-centred design practice and implementation to produce innovative interventions that will directly benefit the PI, CCI, GCC, and the city of Glasgow. It will (1) build the PI's network and capacity to create real-world impact through training in design methods and practical design-led application; (2) effect knowledge transfer of critical infrastructure and design approaches across CCI, GCC, and local communities; and (3) co-design a visionary participatory infrastructure and engine of community wealth and wellbeing in Glasgow by prototyping a Civic and Social Innovation Hub (CSIHub), providing a creative space and resources to bring GCC and local communities together to co-design local solutions.
The prototype CSIHub will be based in one of the 10 poverty pathfinder neighbourhoods in Glasgow, areas specifically called out for complex challenges around poverty. It will provide an evidence base for the effectiveness of design thinking and citizen-centred solutions in reducing poverty and inequality, increasing opportunity and prosperity, and delivering Just Transition. This will enable future scaling of this way of working across the city of Glasgow and be shared as best-practice with other cities through dissemination workshops. The potential benefits of the initial work would be improved wellbeing for citizens of one of Glasgow's most challenging neighbourhoods, improved employability, strengthened local sustainability, and greater democratic and material power for the citizens in decisions governing their lives. Facilitating the CSIHub will be co-design and delivery by the PI and CCI of a suite of educational tools in critical infrastructure and design for GCC and citizens. Delivered through a flexible context-appropriate mix of courses and workshops, these will drive a new way of thinking, and enable more durable, long-term capacity for collaboration across policy teams and local communities, facilitating ongoing visionary infrastructural solutions across Glasgow's challenges.
The skills, experience, and networks built through this project will be an essential next step for the PI to pursue their future goals: (1) creating effective research engagements with stakeholders, (2) building a career trajectory collaborating on genuinely impactful, multidisciplinary projects and, (3) translating their theoretical work in critical infrastructure into real-world interventions.
Underlying these issues is a lack of understanding across Glasgow City Council (GCC) and citizenry of the infrastructural underpinnings and interconnectedness of contemporary challenges. To address the challenges through bottom-up solutions requires upskilling across GCC and citizenry, and establishing a joined-up, co-produced mode of solutions development and delivery that creates, improves, and remakes these infrastructures.
The Critical Infrastructure Design project (CID) brings together the PI's expertise in critical infrastructure studies with host Centre for Civic Innovation's (CCI) extensive citizen-centred design practice and implementation to produce innovative interventions that will directly benefit the PI, CCI, GCC, and the city of Glasgow. It will (1) build the PI's network and capacity to create real-world impact through training in design methods and practical design-led application; (2) effect knowledge transfer of critical infrastructure and design approaches across CCI, GCC, and local communities; and (3) co-design a visionary participatory infrastructure and engine of community wealth and wellbeing in Glasgow by prototyping a Civic and Social Innovation Hub (CSIHub), providing a creative space and resources to bring GCC and local communities together to co-design local solutions.
The prototype CSIHub will be based in one of the 10 poverty pathfinder neighbourhoods in Glasgow, areas specifically called out for complex challenges around poverty. It will provide an evidence base for the effectiveness of design thinking and citizen-centred solutions in reducing poverty and inequality, increasing opportunity and prosperity, and delivering Just Transition. This will enable future scaling of this way of working across the city of Glasgow and be shared as best-practice with other cities through dissemination workshops. The potential benefits of the initial work would be improved wellbeing for citizens of one of Glasgow's most challenging neighbourhoods, improved employability, strengthened local sustainability, and greater democratic and material power for the citizens in decisions governing their lives. Facilitating the CSIHub will be co-design and delivery by the PI and CCI of a suite of educational tools in critical infrastructure and design for GCC and citizens. Delivered through a flexible context-appropriate mix of courses and workshops, these will drive a new way of thinking, and enable more durable, long-term capacity for collaboration across policy teams and local communities, facilitating ongoing visionary infrastructural solutions across Glasgow's challenges.
The skills, experience, and networks built through this project will be an essential next step for the PI to pursue their future goals: (1) creating effective research engagements with stakeholders, (2) building a career trajectory collaborating on genuinely impactful, multidisciplinary projects and, (3) translating their theoretical work in critical infrastructure into real-world interventions.
