A 'digital park in the sea' - a co-design approach to using digital tools for communities to engage with the sea
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Plymouth
Department Name: Sch of Art, Design & Architecture
Abstract
As agreed with AHRC please see the Case for Support attachment for the full application information
Publications
Willis K
(2023)
Place-Keeping in the Park: Testing a Living Lab Approach to Facilitate Nature Connectedness in Urban Greenspaces
in Sustainability
Willis, K
(2025)
Connecting to the Sea: A Place-Based Study of the Potential of Digital Engagement to Foster Marine Citizenship
in Urban Planning
| Description | CREATING PATHWAYS TO MARINE CITIZENSHIP Our research establishes a gap within the current planning and management efforts in coastal areas against the strong correlation between a sense of place and citizenship, where efforts are primarily focused on space revitalisation. However, there's a lack of exploration on how these planning and development processes can alternately support and/or interrupt the existing "sense of place" that people hold in reference to these spaces, particularly in spaces considered to be degraded and/or that are in marginalised communities. Outcomes will contribute to addressing this gap by re-thinking novel and collaborative ways of working towards coastal resilience in marine spatial planning using technology to facilitate civic participation in the governance of marine spaces, particularly in deprived coastal neighbourhoods by - • Developing a series of digital prototypes around for fostering engagement with and connection to the sea. • Evaluating whether these prototypes (engagement with technology) enhance connections to place and engagement with marine environments. • Producing a series of design guides with tangible examples that can inform a new policy approach for civic governance of marine spaces in the UK. The project contributed to new knowledge on how digital tools and a digital placemaking approach can be applied to marine environments - including knowledge on how narrative building using nature data in interactive digital interfaces such as chatbots can help establish engagement with and connection to place. In the long term, this has implications for the development of a hybrid approach to marine spatial planning that combines digital placemaking and physical aspects of spatial planning for creating resilient cities and communities. |
| Exploitation Route | While economic and social deprivation in coastal communities has been much talked about in recent years, much of the evidence especially around access to the sea is anecdotal which adds to the complexity of the challenge. The project will contribute new evidence to re-think existing approaches for addressing challenges around access to the sea and resilience of coastal communities whilst also defining what it means to think about the sea and the marine environment as a public space. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Environment Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/digital-seascapes |
| Description | To reimagine the idea of the sea as a public space that facilitates people's access to the marine environment, the project identified the rocky shore (the inter-tidal zone) as a temporal and bio-diverse blue commons which can enable people to safely access and interact with the sea/ marine environment. Research shows, that giving nature a voice using digital technologies and data to build a narrative can create empathy and understanding between people and natural spaces. There are still a few examples where the novel ways of participation that digital technologies enable are being used to explore new modes of governance and foster engagement with the green and blue spaces in cities. The project identifies this gap in research with a focus on the sea and marine environment -still an underrepresented urban public space. With a focus on the inter-tidal zone as a new type of marine civic space, the project identified new knowledge and scope for further exploration into characterising the sea as a public space as well as into how in a hybrid approach to marine spatial planning, the digital can create a 'sense of place' and access in what is perceived as a wild space. Adopting a place-based approach for co-designing digital interventions, we conducted a series of codesign workshops with the participants (families with children) of events organized by the Rockpool project at Firestone Bay, Plymouth - the identified point of access to the coast nearest to the selected neighbourhoods. We worked with these groups in a collaborative community co-design process for prototyping digital interventions to enable engagement with the marine environment, facilitate access to the sea and in turn, create pathways to marine citizenship. From these workshops, we co-created a digital toolkit to give residents from the community a new way to access the sea space, with a focus on accessing the intertidal zone - the space revealed when the tide is low, which we seek to define as a particular type of temporal and biodiverse public space. IMPACT local people to access the sea: Co-Design Workshops: Engaged with 124 participants during a series of 5 co-design workshops over 6 months (July-December 2023) to co-create digital prototypes for engaging with and caring for the marine environment in collaboration with the Rockpool Project. Survey- People and Nature (Sea): Developed survey with 137 participants to understand people's relationship with the sea and outdoor seaside spaces, their connection to the marine environment and barriers to accessing sea/seaside spaces. The Rockpool Project CIC - we developed a marine digital Toolkit and Chatbot 'Crabby': Engaged 27 participants in developing a digital citizen toolkit with a narrative-based chatbot to learn about, engage with and care for marine life on the rocky shore (rockpools in the inter-tidal zone). This is to be used by the The Rockpool Project CIC in their further citizen science workshops with the public. Knowledge exchange with national stakeholders; An exhibition and knowledge exchange event at the Design Museum London in January 2024with over 35 participants from public, private and third sector . National stakeholders: Digital Seascapes Design Guide: Produced a Design guide in collaboration with Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, and the Rockpool Project to be used by regional and local stakeholders including community groups and marine conservation organisations for replicating this approach in other coastal towns and cities. Further investment; The project has informed the development of large scale funded projects. These include a HLF National marine Park project which receoved £11.6 million in 2024, and includes a dedicated programme of work around digital engagement, and the University of Plymouth securing an ACE Place partnership project that will explore the role of creative digital technologies to enagage with the sea. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Environment,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | 2024 Key Cities Innovation Conference - Culture, Development & Place |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Britain's coasts are a rich source of natural and cultural assets, yet coastal communities are some of the most deprived in UK; 21 of the 88 most deprived local authorities are coastal towns. Through our work at the University of Plymouth, we propose a vision for how creative industries and cultural investment can create a step change for coastal communities through their broader spillover effects. |
| URL | https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/creative-coastal-futures |
| Description | APPG Key Cities |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Informing the Government strategy on Coastal Communities |
| URL | https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/APPG/key-cities |
| Description | Collaborative Doctoral Award |
| Amount | £60,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Plymouth |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2025 |
| End | 02/2029 |
| Description | Make Space for BEES |
| Amount | £12,292 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2024 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Description | Sea For Yourself |
| Amount | £1,600,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts Council England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2025 |
| End | 10/2028 |
| Description | Visiting Fellowship at Western Academy for Advanced Research |
| Amount | $60,000 (CAD) |
| Organisation | Western University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | Canada |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Description | Plymouth City Council- Project Partner on AHRC Design Exchange Partnership - Digital Parks in the Sea |
| Organisation | Plymouth City Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The project is funded through the AHRC Design Exchange Partnerships and PCC was a core partner. They participated in shaping the research design, delivering the research activities and also disseminating and implementing the outcomes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Natural Infrastructure Team at Plymouth City Council were a partner on the project. They provided staff time on the project for the following staff: Sam Balderson, National Marine Park Lead Ranger |
| Impact | Plymouth City council submitted a substantial bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund which was successful. Although not directly related to the AHRC project the work outlined for future work did include some aspects of the approach to digital engagement. The work on the research project was supported by the Phase 1 activities of Plymouth City Council's Heritage Lottery funding. https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/projects/plymouth-sound-national-marine-park "" Our innovative Digital Marine Park will ensure we can connect with over 10,000 people digitally through an inclusive and accessible platform that will provide a unique interpretation of the unique heritage and nature of Plymouth Sound National Marine Park." main project: "In a once in a lifetime transformational opportunity, Plymouth has been awarded £11.6 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop the UK's first National Marine Park. Unlike other National Parks, Plymouth's amazing landscape is mostly under the sea, hidden from view, yet brimming with wildlife of international importance, outstanding maritime heritage, and over 600 shipwrecks. Our plan is to create the country's first National Marine Park, forging a new relationship between the city and the sea. Encouraging people to become 'Marine Citizens', developing closer connections with the ocean, learning to care about our coastal environment and change the way we behave in order to protect it. This is the beginning of a movement - a first-of-its-kind opportunity for the development of National Marine Parks across the UK and it is being led by Plymouth." |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Title | Digital Seascapes Citizen Science Toolkit |
| Description | We developed a Digital citizen toolkit with a narrative-based chatbot to be used as an engagement tool at the shore. |
| Type Of Technology | New/Improved Technique/Technology |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Digital citizen toolkit with a narrative-based chatbot to learn about, engage with and care for marine life on the rocky shore (rockpools in the inter-tidal zone). |
| URL | https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/digital-seascapes |
| Description | Co-design workshops with the Rockpool Project participants |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Co-Design Workshops: Engaged with 89 participants during a series of 5 co-design workshops over 6 months (July-December 2023) to co-create digital prototypes for engaging with and caring for the marine environment in collaboration with the Rockpool Project. The main participants were residents from PL1 postcodes. This is the postcode for the Stonehouse neighbourhood in Plymouth which is in the bottom 1% for IMDB deprivation indices. It is also a neighbourhood approx 1000m from the sea. 1 day workshop events: Firestone Bay, Plymouth- 9 July 2023 St Peters school, Stonehouse, Plymouth 21 july 2023 Firestone Bay, Plymouth- 6 August 2023 Plymouth Tinside Lidio National Marine Park event - 7 August 2023 Firestone Bay, Plymouth- 3 September 2023 Firestone Bay, Plymouth- 25 November 2023 Firestone Bay, Plymouth- 2 December 2023 Taking a place-based collaborative community co-design approach, the project worked with local stakeholders from the most excluded neighbourhoods (Stonehouse and Devonport) in the Plymouth Sound Marine environment - which is the heart of the city of Plymouth. We focused on two bays in the Plymouth Sound (Firestone Bay and Millbay) that are located closest to Stonehouse and Devonport to work with the local communities. - |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/digital-seascapes |
| Description | Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and Design Council Roundtable- Designer perspectives on AI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited participant and discussant at the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Roundtable Designer perspectives on AI The Design Council brought together designers and wider design sector stakeholders to discuss how AI is currently being used in design practice, future opportunities and barriers for applying AI, as well as potential risks to the sector. This conversation informed the DCMS's future research and policy agenda, aiming to improve outcomes for the sector and wider society. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://medium.com/design-council/design-for-planet-with-ai-and-data-27988066c85 |
| Description | Design Lab Nation 2024 - school engagement work with the Box, Plymouth |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I hosted 3 full day workshops with local schools as part of a project organised by The Box, Plymouth and the V&A, London. 'DesignLab Nation' aims to bring secondary schools, regional museums and local creative industries together to inspire the next generation of designers, makers and innovators. Design Lab Nation was hosted by The Box, Plymouth and is currently one of only eight organisations working with the V&A on the innovative scheme and has partnered with three schools in Devon and Cornwall. We ran full day workshops with local schoolchildren. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.theboxplymouth.com/blog/press-release/the-box-selected-for-designlab-nation |
| Description | Design Museum Project showcase January 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | We organised a 1/2 day knowledge exchange workshop and exhbition at the Design Museum, London. The event was a showcase of design exchange approaches to the challenges of the green transition that explored design approaches to low carbon, inclusive and digital futures working in partnership with place based communities The event will took place at the Design Museum London on Friday 12th January 2024 between 2pm and 8pm. Over 50 guests from the design, academic, creative industries and third sector attended. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/design-exchange-showcase-opening-and-networking-event-tickets-7516411... |
| Description | Futures 2024 - Future Neighbourhoods |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | FUTURES: A Festival of Discovery has been an opportunity for people to discover more about the research that is shaping our future with researchers from the region's universities. FUTURES received funding from the European Commission under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions as part of European Researchers' Night (2018-2021) and UK Research and Innovation as part of the Horizon Europe Guarantee (2022 & 2023). FUTURES: A Festival of Discovery is a public engagement collaboration between the University of Bath, Bath Spa University, University of Bristol, University of Exeter and University of Plymouth. The festival is a unique opportunity to find out more about the innovative and world-class research taking place at universities across the South West: The University of Plymouth hosted 4 events and I organised the event: Future Neighbourhoods. The following is an overview of the one day workshop: Discover the work that's going on in Plymouth to build strong and sustainable neighbourhoods with this hands-on workshop. Join Professor Katharine Willis and Nudge Community Builders as they delve into the future of inclusive neighbourhoods. Discover the power of ground-up development to create thriving communities for all citizens. Engage in this hands-on workshop, where technology becomes a catalyst for building strong and sustainable neighbourhoods. Be part of the transformational journey towards a brighter future. The workshop will be open to all, but with a focus on families and younger people. Programme: 12.30-1.30pm - free lunch provided by Jabulani 1.30pm - Talk/ introduction on the topic of Smart and sustainable neighbourhoods by Professor Willis 2pm-4pm - Hands on Workshop: We will work in groups to design a future neighbourhood over the 2-hour session. We will have lots of hands on and playful activities to take part in. At the end each participant will have helped to shape what the future neighbourhood will look like and have learnt about new tools and technologies that will help us live in a more smart and sustainable community. At the end of workshop each participant will have created a miniature model that they can take home. All are welcome to join us, whether dropping in or staying all day, and you can join for the talk only or for the whole afternoon. The workshop will take place at the Plot, 80-85 Union Street; a building run by Nudge provide spaces for local people to grow and make connections. The workshop will be run together with Nudge community Builders and there will also be the opportunity to see the Plot and meet some of the local organisations based in Union Street as well as learn about the plans for the future neighbourhood in Stonehouse. With something for every age, FUTURES brings science, culture and research to life in new and exciting ways. There are plenty of events to experience, including late-night museum openings, hands-on activities, exhibitions, storytelling, comedy nights, talks, quizzes, radio shows and much more! |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://2023.futuresnight.co.uk/events/future-neighbourhoods/ |
| Description | ITU U4SSC Policy Working Group on Enabling People-Centred Cities through Digital Transformation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I am an invited member of the Policy thematic working group Enabling People-Centred Cities through Digital Transformation The United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) is a global initiative that provides an international platform for information exchange and partnership building to guide cities and communities in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The U4SSC is a UN initiative coordinated by ITU, UNECE and UN-Habitat and supported by other 16 UN bodies, that help support the development of institutional policies and strategies which encourage the use of digital technologies to facilitate digital transformation and ease the transition to smart sustainable cities. The U4SSC supports cities on their digital transformation journey in order to meet their goals and targets and create the cities and communities of tomorrow. U4SSC serves as the global platform to advocate for public policy and to encourage the use of ICTs to facilitate and ease the transition to smart sustainable cities. The U4SSC actively works on a number of thematic groups, including topics surrounding city platforms, economic and financial recovery in cities and urban resilience, innovative financing for smart sustainable cities, artificial intelligence in cities, procurement and digital transformation for people-oriented cities. The U4SSC thematic groups develop action plans, technical specifications, case studies, guidelines and offer policy guidance for cities to become smarter and more sustainable while accelerating their digital transformation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| URL | https://u4ssc.itu.int/digital-transformation/ |
| Description | Participatory and Inclusive Data Stewardship, Theme: Data in Place |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Participatory and Inclusive Data Stewardship, Theme: Data in Place. This is a workshop oragnised by Prospect Brixham as part of the Data Trust pilot https://datatrusts.uk/pilot-brixham. This pilot project will create a data trust in a coastal community of 17,000 people, building the community's capacity to use and share data securely in ways that benefit local people and organisations. The Brixham Data Trust will support collective decision-making about how to deploy local data resources. It will seek the community's views on how data can facilitate placemaking and address environmental stewardship, health and wellbeing and net zero ambitions. Aims & Objectives The Brixham Data Trust aims to develop a dynamic local data ecosystem to inform, engage, and test the use of real datasets within a 3km radius of the town centre. The pilot will explore how data trusts can connect civic engagement and environmental stewardship in coastal communities. It aims to support deliberative processes and to catalyse meaningful change based on an evidence base of data and data insights from the land and the marine environment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Testing the Waters - Participatory Approaches for Resilience of Coastal Environments |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This session is sponsored by the Coastal and Marine Research Group (CMRG) of the RGS-IBG; further details can be found at the CMRG website: https://coastalmarineresearchgroup.wordpress.com/rgs-ibg-conference/rgsibg-2024-call-for-sessions/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual Conference, London, 27th - 30th August 2024 Session: Testing the Waters - Participatory Approaches for Resilience of Coastal Environments Organisers: Katharine Willis (University of Plymouth), Ashita Gupta (University of Plymouth), Carolina Vasilikou (Manchester School of Architecture), Judita Vivas (artist) Session outline: This workshop will investigate participatory approaches for building resilience of coastal environments. Current planning and management in coastal areas seek to 'reconnect' and 'revitalise' seaside spaces but focus on top-down approaches. Less explored, however, is how these planning and development processes can support a "sense of place", particularly in spaces that are in marginalised communities. In fact, there is a current lack of models of public participation and engagement, particularly around involving such excluded communities in the future planning of deprived coastal neighbourhoods. We propose that creative and participatory methods are needed to explore new ways of engaging coastal communities for building inclusive and resilient coastal environments. Workshop format: The workshop will 'test the waters' by exploring an engagement methodology that addresses the challenges of working with coastal communities. We will invite participants to act as peers with an agency in bottom-up participatory methods using visual and creative contributions. The workshop will be followed by a chaired interactive discussion between collaborators and the audience to explore reflections, commonalities and divergences in themes and ideas around coastal resilience. This session will create a dynamic and experimental space for exploring ideas and interventions towards shaping alternative futures for coastal towns and cities and highlighting opportunities for future collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://coastalmarineresearchgroup.wordpress.com/rgs-ibg-conference/rgsibg-2024-call-for-sessions/ |