Reconnecting with nature
Imaginaries of a Coast
Imaginaries of a Coast: Alternative Urban Futures for Larnaca, Cyprus
‘Imaginaries of a Coast’ engages local communities, stakeholders, urban practitioners and researchers in a process of co-designing environmentally sensitive, inclusive and meaningful transformations for a coastal, former industrial site in Larnaca, Cyprus. Through participatory processes, it challenges mainstream development visions and explores alternative urban future scenarios that foster meaningful connections with nature and the coast, among diverse communities.
Cyprus
Local
Larnaca
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Early concept
No
No
As an individual
The project engages participants in envisioning sustainable, inclusive and meaningful urban futures for a coastal, former industrial site in Larnaca. Through a participatory process, it reconnects people with the coast to collectively reimagine its transformation. The site is currently underused, disconnected and characterised by a strained coastal ecosystem. As discussions about its future intensify, dominant proposals focus on large-scale, real estate developments. These have been linked to low-income housing displacement, poor local integration, ecosystem destruction, and increased climate vulnerability.
The project has two objectives:
1.Develop methodological tools that facilitate the participation of communities and stakeholders from multiple levels and disciplines (NEB principles) in co-designing the coast.
2.Create three alternative scenarios that explore sustainability, inclusion, and meaningful experiences (NEB values) while fostering the reconnection with nature.
The primary target groups are local communities (particularly marginalised ones), stakeholders (urban planners, municipal officials, politicians) and civil society (NGOs, activists, creatives). The goal is to involve them in imagining and advocating for sustainable, inclusive and meaningful coastal transformations. A second target group is practitioners and researchers in architecture/urbanism. The aim is to provide them with tools and insights on how to bridge academic research with participatory, practical implementation.
In its first year, the project will host on-site activities to develop the three design scenarios. Beyond these, the project will produce a participatory design toolkit, a short film, and a publication documenting the research and design process. The aim is to offer transferable and scalable insights into how sustainable, inclusive, and meaningful coastal transformations could be collectively reimagined and implemented in Cyprus and beyond.
The project has two objectives:
1.Develop methodological tools that facilitate the participation of communities and stakeholders from multiple levels and disciplines (NEB principles) in co-designing the coast.
2.Create three alternative scenarios that explore sustainability, inclusion, and meaningful experiences (NEB values) while fostering the reconnection with nature.
The primary target groups are local communities (particularly marginalised ones), stakeholders (urban planners, municipal officials, politicians) and civil society (NGOs, activists, creatives). The goal is to involve them in imagining and advocating for sustainable, inclusive and meaningful coastal transformations. A second target group is practitioners and researchers in architecture/urbanism. The aim is to provide them with tools and insights on how to bridge academic research with participatory, practical implementation.
In its first year, the project will host on-site activities to develop the three design scenarios. Beyond these, the project will produce a participatory design toolkit, a short film, and a publication documenting the research and design process. The aim is to offer transferable and scalable insights into how sustainable, inclusive, and meaningful coastal transformations could be collectively reimagined and implemented in Cyprus and beyond.
Coast
Participation
Degrowth
Commons
Care
The project’s key sustainability objectives are to reduce the environmental impact of urban development at the coast, to regenerate and enhance the coastal ecosystem, to promote re-use and circularity and to align cultural and institutional processes with the preservation of the coast. These objectives are pursued through the three design scenarios and the participatory processes used to develop them
The design scenarios explore how:
1. An ‘urban degrowth’ zone can limit large-scale, real estate developments and their environmental impact.
2. Nature-based solutions, such as salt marsh and dune restoration, can regenerate ecosystems and enhance biodiversity.
3. Circularity, material reuse, co-governance, and collective making can transform the coast as commons.
4. Institutional reforms can recognise the rights of nature, ensuring ecosystems are represented in planning.
Beyond design, the participatory process of the project promotes sustainability by:
1. Cultivating a culture of care and lifecycle thinking, making coastal restoration and transformation a collective responsibility.
2. Raising awareness about the environmental impact of urban development and promoting sustainable alternatives.
3. Encouraging active community engagement in coastal transformation.
The project stands out by bridging theory and practice, integrating concepts like ‘degrowth’ and ‘rights of nature’ into urban strategies. By combining nature-based solutions, circularity, and co-governance, it develops socio-ecological models that challenge mainstream urban development. Additionally, it creates scalable methodological tools for participatory processes that raise environmental awareness, foster a culture of care, and empower urban actors to advocate for sustainable futures. By integrating spatial, ecological, and social strategies, the project sets a new standard for sustainable coastal transformation that is exemplary locally and beyond.
The design scenarios explore how:
1. An ‘urban degrowth’ zone can limit large-scale, real estate developments and their environmental impact.
2. Nature-based solutions, such as salt marsh and dune restoration, can regenerate ecosystems and enhance biodiversity.
3. Circularity, material reuse, co-governance, and collective making can transform the coast as commons.
4. Institutional reforms can recognise the rights of nature, ensuring ecosystems are represented in planning.
Beyond design, the participatory process of the project promotes sustainability by:
1. Cultivating a culture of care and lifecycle thinking, making coastal restoration and transformation a collective responsibility.
2. Raising awareness about the environmental impact of urban development and promoting sustainable alternatives.
3. Encouraging active community engagement in coastal transformation.
The project stands out by bridging theory and practice, integrating concepts like ‘degrowth’ and ‘rights of nature’ into urban strategies. By combining nature-based solutions, circularity, and co-governance, it develops socio-ecological models that challenge mainstream urban development. Additionally, it creates scalable methodological tools for participatory processes that raise environmental awareness, foster a culture of care, and empower urban actors to advocate for sustainable futures. By integrating spatial, ecological, and social strategies, the project sets a new standard for sustainable coastal transformation that is exemplary locally and beyond.
The project’s key objectives for aesthetics and quality of experience are to transform the coast to a beautiful public space, to reconnect communities with the coast and cultivate a sense of belonging, and to sustain activities for awareness-raising, co-governance, and circularity that enable new cultural and social values. These objectives are pursued through the three design scenarios and the participatory process of the project.
The three design scenarios explore how:
1. A former industrial site can be transformed, through nature-based solutions and small-scale interventions, into a thriving ecosystem and a beautiful public space, that enables social interactions and meaningful experiences
2. Co-governance and collective-making practices could support the creation of new social and cultural values that relate to sustainability, circularity and reuse
3. Organising cultural activities on the coast can connect communities and individuals to nature and to a sense of place
4. Participatory decision-making processes about the coast can create a feeling of collective responsibility and a sense of belonging
The participatory process of the project enhances aesthetics and the quality of experience by:
1. Organising participatory processes and activities on-site to connect to the coast and the qualities of place
2. Encouraging activities that enable new interactions and new cultures of care for the coast to emerge
The project is exemplary in the context of aesthetics and the quality of experience since it combines spatial transformations with cultural and institutional processes to create opportunities for meaningful experiences and interactions, stronger connections to place and new social and cultural values to emerge. The project reflects this both through the design process and the scenarios and offers insights into how this could be adapted to other contexts through its outputs (design scenarios, methodological toolkit, short film, publication).
The three design scenarios explore how:
1. A former industrial site can be transformed, through nature-based solutions and small-scale interventions, into a thriving ecosystem and a beautiful public space, that enables social interactions and meaningful experiences
2. Co-governance and collective-making practices could support the creation of new social and cultural values that relate to sustainability, circularity and reuse
3. Organising cultural activities on the coast can connect communities and individuals to nature and to a sense of place
4. Participatory decision-making processes about the coast can create a feeling of collective responsibility and a sense of belonging
The participatory process of the project enhances aesthetics and the quality of experience by:
1. Organising participatory processes and activities on-site to connect to the coast and the qualities of place
2. Encouraging activities that enable new interactions and new cultures of care for the coast to emerge
The project is exemplary in the context of aesthetics and the quality of experience since it combines spatial transformations with cultural and institutional processes to create opportunities for meaningful experiences and interactions, stronger connections to place and new social and cultural values to emerge. The project reflects this both through the design process and the scenarios and offers insights into how this could be adapted to other contexts through its outputs (design scenarios, methodological toolkit, short film, publication).
The project’s key inclusion objectives are to transform the coast as an accessible green space for all, to promote collective models of governance and to support institutional and cultural changes that ensure the participation of diverse communities in urban transformations. These objectives are pursued through the three design scenarios and the participatory process of the project.
The three design scenarios explore how:
1.The coastal area could be transformed into an accessible green space for all through a new, dedicated ‘urban degrowth’ zone.
2. Small-scale, co-governance and changes in institutional planning processes could enable better bottom-up and top-down synergies.
3. Awareness-raising campaigns and cultural activities at the coast could enable participation of diverse communities in the transformation of the coast.
The participatory process of the project promotes inclusion by:
1. Combining targeted participation, to ensure diverse, safe and in-depth communication, together with public engagement activities that include a wide range of voices.
2. Organising cultural activities on-site, with a social element, to make the participation easier and more attractive to diverse communities.
3. Creating opportunities for social interaction and connecting with nature through sustained engagement that builds trust.
The project supports inclusion both as a design process and outcome. Inclusion as a process is reflected on the methodology of participatory design that enables the inclusion of diverse communities, stakeholders and disciplines. Inclusion as a design outcome, is reflected on the three scenarios that propose the transformation of the coast into an accessible green space and that explore institutional and cultural changes that enable diverse participation and bottom-up and top-down synergies. Through these, the project offers an exemplary scalable and adaptable model for inclusive coastal transformations locally and beyond.
The three design scenarios explore how:
1.The coastal area could be transformed into an accessible green space for all through a new, dedicated ‘urban degrowth’ zone.
2. Small-scale, co-governance and changes in institutional planning processes could enable better bottom-up and top-down synergies.
3. Awareness-raising campaigns and cultural activities at the coast could enable participation of diverse communities in the transformation of the coast.
The participatory process of the project promotes inclusion by:
1. Combining targeted participation, to ensure diverse, safe and in-depth communication, together with public engagement activities that include a wide range of voices.
2. Organising cultural activities on-site, with a social element, to make the participation easier and more attractive to diverse communities.
3. Creating opportunities for social interaction and connecting with nature through sustained engagement that builds trust.
The project supports inclusion both as a design process and outcome. Inclusion as a process is reflected on the methodology of participatory design that enables the inclusion of diverse communities, stakeholders and disciplines. Inclusion as a design outcome, is reflected on the three scenarios that propose the transformation of the coast into an accessible green space and that explore institutional and cultural changes that enable diverse participation and bottom-up and top-down synergies. Through these, the project offers an exemplary scalable and adaptable model for inclusive coastal transformations locally and beyond.
The project benefits the inhabitants of the city, and particularly the communities living adjacent to the site, as well as civil society interested in coastal urban transformations. These are involved in the project in three ways:
1. Semi-Structured Interviews & Design Workshops: Representatives from local communities and civil society offer their input on the development process of the design scenarios. The selection of the representatives ensures the diverse participation of affected communities and interested entities. The structure of the interviews and workshops is designed to enable safe and in-depth communication.
2. Intermediate Public Activities: Local communities and civil society participate in two intermediate public activities. These also involve local stakeholders and researchers/practitioners from relevant disciplines. The activities are taking place on-site and include an open, moderated roundtable discussion, an exhibition of the preliminary design scenarios and a walking tour.
3. Main Event: Local communities and civil society participate and co-organise the main event of the project. The event brings together local communities, civil society, local stakeholders, researchers/practitioners and the wider public. It consists of an exhibition of the design scenarios, an open, moderated round-table discussion, a screening of the short film of the project, and three site-specific activities (walking tours, performances).
The participation of local communities and civil society has a significant impact on the success of the project. One the one hand, it allows for highly valuable insights to be gained to support the designing of the three scenarios. On the other hand, it benefits the participants by enabling them to meaningfully participate in imagining alternative futures for the coast, empowering them to advocate for sustainable, inclusive and meaningful transformations and encouraging them to reconnect with nature and the coast.
1. Semi-Structured Interviews & Design Workshops: Representatives from local communities and civil society offer their input on the development process of the design scenarios. The selection of the representatives ensures the diverse participation of affected communities and interested entities. The structure of the interviews and workshops is designed to enable safe and in-depth communication.
2. Intermediate Public Activities: Local communities and civil society participate in two intermediate public activities. These also involve local stakeholders and researchers/practitioners from relevant disciplines. The activities are taking place on-site and include an open, moderated roundtable discussion, an exhibition of the preliminary design scenarios and a walking tour.
3. Main Event: Local communities and civil society participate and co-organise the main event of the project. The event brings together local communities, civil society, local stakeholders, researchers/practitioners and the wider public. It consists of an exhibition of the design scenarios, an open, moderated round-table discussion, a screening of the short film of the project, and three site-specific activities (walking tours, performances).
The participation of local communities and civil society has a significant impact on the success of the project. One the one hand, it allows for highly valuable insights to be gained to support the designing of the three scenarios. On the other hand, it benefits the participants by enabling them to meaningfully participate in imagining alternative futures for the coast, empowering them to advocate for sustainable, inclusive and meaningful transformations and encouraging them to reconnect with nature and the coast.
Stakeholders at various levels are involved in the project in three ways:
1. Semi-Structured Interviews and Design Workshops: At least two local stakeholders are involved in the design development of each scenario. The stakeholders include urban planners, municipal /governmental officers and politicians. The selection of stakeholders ensures valuable insights and direct engagement with different levels of governance and planning.
2. Two Intermediate Public Activities: Local stakeholders participate in two intermediate public activities organised as part of the project. The activities are organised on-site and include an open, moderated roundtable discussion, an exhibition of the preliminary design scenarios and a walking tour of the site. The stakeholders have a chance to engage with local communities and civil society during these activities.
3. Main Event: Local stakeholders participate in the main event of the project. The event brings together local communities, civil society and the wider public to engage with local stakeholders to foster better communication and collaborations for envisioning coastal transformations. The event consists of an exhibition, an open, moderated round-table discussion, a screening of the short film of the project, and site-specific activities (walking tours, performances) co-organised with the community.
The participation of local stakeholders has a significant impact on the process and outputs of the project. Firstly, it allows for valuable insights to be gained for developing the alternative design proposals for the coast. Secondly, it allows stakeholders to encounter radically different ideas (compared to mainstream visions) about how the coast could be transformed. Thirdly, it creates opportunities for engagement with local communities and civil society that create bridges for collaborations. Lastly, it encourages them to reconnect with the coast and cultivate sensitivity to its preservation and regeneration.
1. Semi-Structured Interviews and Design Workshops: At least two local stakeholders are involved in the design development of each scenario. The stakeholders include urban planners, municipal /governmental officers and politicians. The selection of stakeholders ensures valuable insights and direct engagement with different levels of governance and planning.
2. Two Intermediate Public Activities: Local stakeholders participate in two intermediate public activities organised as part of the project. The activities are organised on-site and include an open, moderated roundtable discussion, an exhibition of the preliminary design scenarios and a walking tour of the site. The stakeholders have a chance to engage with local communities and civil society during these activities.
3. Main Event: Local stakeholders participate in the main event of the project. The event brings together local communities, civil society and the wider public to engage with local stakeholders to foster better communication and collaborations for envisioning coastal transformations. The event consists of an exhibition, an open, moderated round-table discussion, a screening of the short film of the project, and site-specific activities (walking tours, performances) co-organised with the community.
The participation of local stakeholders has a significant impact on the process and outputs of the project. Firstly, it allows for valuable insights to be gained for developing the alternative design proposals for the coast. Secondly, it allows stakeholders to encounter radically different ideas (compared to mainstream visions) about how the coast could be transformed. Thirdly, it creates opportunities for engagement with local communities and civil society that create bridges for collaborations. Lastly, it encourages them to reconnect with the coast and cultivate sensitivity to its preservation and regeneration.
The project uses the design process to mediate between different disciplines and combine insights from academia and practice into case-specific design scenarios. The project engages at least 3 representatives from different disciplines, for each scenario, through semi-structured interviews. The key disciplines that are relevant for each scenario are:
“Urban Degrowth Zone”:
a) urban ecology (on notions of urban degrowth)
b) marine biology, (coastal restoration and regeneration)
c) landscape architecture (for sustainable coastal transformation)
“Coast as Commons”:
a) political science (on notions of commons management and organisation)
b) post-humanist scholarship (on participation and protection of the rights of nature)
c) urban planning (on laws and processes and bridging top-down and bottom-up processes)
“Matters of Care”:
a) feminist scholarship (on notions of care, repair, maintenance)
b) visual and performative arts (on the potentially political and environmental role of arts)
c) urban planning (on potential for shifting towards cultures of care in the profession)
The representatives of these fields participate through semi-structured interviews and design workshops in the first two phases of the project. The interviews and workshops are designed to ensure meaningful participation and in-depth communication. They are recorded to produce a short film about sustainable, inclusive and meaningful coastal transformations that is screened on location and used for dissemination and advocacy.
Through their involvement, the representatives of these fields add value to the process by providing interdisciplinary insights that are processed and fruitfully brought together in the design process and outputs. The representatives of these fields are invited to participate in the public activities and main event of the first year of implementation (either digitally - if abroad, or physically).
“Urban Degrowth Zone”:
a) urban ecology (on notions of urban degrowth)
b) marine biology, (coastal restoration and regeneration)
c) landscape architecture (for sustainable coastal transformation)
“Coast as Commons”:
a) political science (on notions of commons management and organisation)
b) post-humanist scholarship (on participation and protection of the rights of nature)
c) urban planning (on laws and processes and bridging top-down and bottom-up processes)
“Matters of Care”:
a) feminist scholarship (on notions of care, repair, maintenance)
b) visual and performative arts (on the potentially political and environmental role of arts)
c) urban planning (on potential for shifting towards cultures of care in the profession)
The representatives of these fields participate through semi-structured interviews and design workshops in the first two phases of the project. The interviews and workshops are designed to ensure meaningful participation and in-depth communication. They are recorded to produce a short film about sustainable, inclusive and meaningful coastal transformations that is screened on location and used for dissemination and advocacy.
Through their involvement, the representatives of these fields add value to the process by providing interdisciplinary insights that are processed and fruitfully brought together in the design process and outputs. The representatives of these fields are invited to participate in the public activities and main event of the first year of implementation (either digitally - if abroad, or physically).
The project is innovative in multiple ways when compared to mainstream actions in the fields of architecture and urbanism:
1. Mainstream practice in architecture/urbanism usually works as a response to a given brief. This means that design studies are often limited in scope and with (sometimes) questionable priorities. Rather than design being used to respond to a brief, the project proposes that design can be used to initiate public discussions, challenge mainstream visions and promote sustainable, inclusive and meaningful urban transformations.
2. While some level of participation is usually involved in mainstream planning processes, in recent decades this has been reduced, particularly in large-scale urban transformations. The project reacts to this by proposing a multilayered participation process and the development of a toolkit that allows for such processes to be adapted to other contexts.
3. Mainstream actions in the fields of architecture/urbanism are usually limited to spatial transformations and do not address adequately the institutional and cultural processes that produce space. The three design scenarios address this gap and explore not only how the coast could be transformed spatially but also what kind of institutional and cultural changes would be needed to support such transformations.
4. Mainstream practice in the fields of architecture/urbanism often has an output that is accessible to agents in relevant fields and not the wider public. The current project proposes different outputs that can be used to communicate with different publics. These include: i) three public activities with an exhibition of the scenarios, open, moderated, roundtable discussions and site-specific activities (walking tours and performances) ii) a short film that reflects the key ideas of the project iii) a publication with documentation and reflections on the design outcomes and process iv) a toolkit for participatory design process.
1. Mainstream practice in architecture/urbanism usually works as a response to a given brief. This means that design studies are often limited in scope and with (sometimes) questionable priorities. Rather than design being used to respond to a brief, the project proposes that design can be used to initiate public discussions, challenge mainstream visions and promote sustainable, inclusive and meaningful urban transformations.
2. While some level of participation is usually involved in mainstream planning processes, in recent decades this has been reduced, particularly in large-scale urban transformations. The project reacts to this by proposing a multilayered participation process and the development of a toolkit that allows for such processes to be adapted to other contexts.
3. Mainstream actions in the fields of architecture/urbanism are usually limited to spatial transformations and do not address adequately the institutional and cultural processes that produce space. The three design scenarios address this gap and explore not only how the coast could be transformed spatially but also what kind of institutional and cultural changes would be needed to support such transformations.
4. Mainstream practice in the fields of architecture/urbanism often has an output that is accessible to agents in relevant fields and not the wider public. The current project proposes different outputs that can be used to communicate with different publics. These include: i) three public activities with an exhibition of the scenarios, open, moderated, roundtable discussions and site-specific activities (walking tours and performances) ii) a short film that reflects the key ideas of the project iii) a publication with documentation and reflections on the design outcomes and process iv) a toolkit for participatory design process.
The project uses a participatory approach and combines a set of complementary methods to achieve its objectives:
1. Sketch Design/Research/Fieldwork: The lead of the project (architect/urbanist) together with the core team (interdisciplinary), undertake research and fieldwork to develop the sketch designs for the three scenarios. These are used to initiate communication with the participants.
2.Semi-Structured Interviews/Design Workshops: In the first two phases of the project the team undertakes semi-structured interviews (at least 5 per scenario) with representatives from local communities, civil society and relevant stakeholders, researchers and practitioners. The interviews integrate a design workshop where participants are asked to co-develop the sketch designs prepared by the team. These activities are recorded to be used for a short film that is produced as part of the project.
3.Design Development/Mapping/Drawing: Based on the input from the interviews/workshops, the team develops the design scenarios through drawings and maps. These are used as tools for design and communication during the public activities of the project.
4. Roundtable Discussion/Exhibition: The team presents the design scenarios in two intermediate public activities and a main event. It also organises an open, moderated roundtable discussion with local communities, civil society and stakeholders. These events are recorded. At the end, the team produces reflective documentation.
5. Questionnaires/Reflective Discussions: The team offers questionnaires to the participants of the two public activities and main event that ask them to reflect on the scenarios and process. They also organise reflective discussions with the participants for in-depth feedback.
This set of methods is performed twice during the first two phases of the project. This ensures sustained engagement, meaningful participation and the incorporation of feedback throughout the process.
1. Sketch Design/Research/Fieldwork: The lead of the project (architect/urbanist) together with the core team (interdisciplinary), undertake research and fieldwork to develop the sketch designs for the three scenarios. These are used to initiate communication with the participants.
2.Semi-Structured Interviews/Design Workshops: In the first two phases of the project the team undertakes semi-structured interviews (at least 5 per scenario) with representatives from local communities, civil society and relevant stakeholders, researchers and practitioners. The interviews integrate a design workshop where participants are asked to co-develop the sketch designs prepared by the team. These activities are recorded to be used for a short film that is produced as part of the project.
3.Design Development/Mapping/Drawing: Based on the input from the interviews/workshops, the team develops the design scenarios through drawings and maps. These are used as tools for design and communication during the public activities of the project.
4. Roundtable Discussion/Exhibition: The team presents the design scenarios in two intermediate public activities and a main event. It also organises an open, moderated roundtable discussion with local communities, civil society and stakeholders. These events are recorded. At the end, the team produces reflective documentation.
5. Questionnaires/Reflective Discussions: The team offers questionnaires to the participants of the two public activities and main event that ask them to reflect on the scenarios and process. They also organise reflective discussions with the participants for in-depth feedback.
This set of methods is performed twice during the first two phases of the project. This ensures sustained engagement, meaningful participation and the incorporation of feedback throughout the process.
The project has a high potential for transferability through the ideas explored in the design scenarios and the participatory process followed.
1. The design scenarios propose i) spatial transformations - a degrowth zone, nature-based solutions and small-scale interventions to improve accessibility and quality, ii) institutional transformations - models of governance that enable bottom-up and top-down synergies, and iii) cultural transformations - activities that reconnect communities with nature and the coast. These proposals respond to challenges faced by coastal communities in Larnaca, Cyprus and the wider Mediterranean region. Communities in this region grapple with balancing development with sustainability, inclusion and quality. The project offers multilayered solutions that can be adaptable and scalable.
2. The participatory approach of the project offers a multilayered engagement process that enables the meaningful participation of local communities, civil society, local stakeholders and interdisciplinary researchers/practitioners. This is highly relevant in urban contexts in Europe and beyond, especially in large-scale urban developments. As these kinds of development are often associated with a weakening of public participation, the project offers transferable methodologies that enable empowering, diverse and meaningful engagement.
The high potential for transferability is enhanced through the outputs of the project that are designed to reach a wide range of publics:
1. The design scenarios and solutions proposed are communicated through visuals and presented in exhibitions and publications.
2. The participatory design process is communicated through a toolkit that explains the process.
3. The research/design process of the project is recorded to produce a short film that facilitates wide-spread dissemination across contexts and disciplines.
4. A publication is produced that documents the project’s process and that reflects on the outcome
1. The design scenarios propose i) spatial transformations - a degrowth zone, nature-based solutions and small-scale interventions to improve accessibility and quality, ii) institutional transformations - models of governance that enable bottom-up and top-down synergies, and iii) cultural transformations - activities that reconnect communities with nature and the coast. These proposals respond to challenges faced by coastal communities in Larnaca, Cyprus and the wider Mediterranean region. Communities in this region grapple with balancing development with sustainability, inclusion and quality. The project offers multilayered solutions that can be adaptable and scalable.
2. The participatory approach of the project offers a multilayered engagement process that enables the meaningful participation of local communities, civil society, local stakeholders and interdisciplinary researchers/practitioners. This is highly relevant in urban contexts in Europe and beyond, especially in large-scale urban developments. As these kinds of development are often associated with a weakening of public participation, the project offers transferable methodologies that enable empowering, diverse and meaningful engagement.
The high potential for transferability is enhanced through the outputs of the project that are designed to reach a wide range of publics:
1. The design scenarios and solutions proposed are communicated through visuals and presented in exhibitions and publications.
2. The participatory design process is communicated through a toolkit that explains the process.
3. The research/design process of the project is recorded to produce a short film that facilitates wide-spread dissemination across contexts and disciplines.
4. A publication is produced that documents the project’s process and that reflects on the outcome
The project addresses several global challenges through the proposed design solutions:
1.Coastal Resilience in the Face of Climate Change:
The project proposes an urban degrowth zone and nature-based solutions that transforms the coastal zone of the former industrial site into a thriving wetland ecosystem and a beautiful public space that is able to respond to rising sea levels and extreme weather phenomena.
2. Impact of Urban Development, Environmental Degradation and Loss of Biodiversity:
The project proposes the restriction of urban development in the coastal zone, the adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure and circularity practices to reduce the environmental impact of urban development. The project also proposes coastal regeneration through nature-based solutions to mitigate environmental degradation and enhance biodiversity.
3. Weakening of Public Participation in Planning Processes:
The project proposes an alternative form of architectural/urban practice and a multi-layered participation process that enables the meaningful involvement of local communities, civil society, stakeholders and researchers/practitioners in developing alternative visions for urban transformations.
4. Underrepresentation of Marginalised Groups and Rights of Nature:
The project explores institutional changes and cultural shifts that would enable the meaningful recognition and involvement of underrepresented groups and the protection of the rights of nature in planning processes. It offers solutions for better bottom-up and top-down collaborations that can mitigate issues of mis- or under-representation.
5. Extractive Cultures of Control over Nature:
The project organises cultural activities that foster the reconnection of communities and individuals with nature while also promoting cultures of care, repair and maintenance. In doing so, it counters prevalent, extractive cultures of control over nature and offers insights into how they might be transformed.
1.Coastal Resilience in the Face of Climate Change:
The project proposes an urban degrowth zone and nature-based solutions that transforms the coastal zone of the former industrial site into a thriving wetland ecosystem and a beautiful public space that is able to respond to rising sea levels and extreme weather phenomena.
2. Impact of Urban Development, Environmental Degradation and Loss of Biodiversity:
The project proposes the restriction of urban development in the coastal zone, the adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure and circularity practices to reduce the environmental impact of urban development. The project also proposes coastal regeneration through nature-based solutions to mitigate environmental degradation and enhance biodiversity.
3. Weakening of Public Participation in Planning Processes:
The project proposes an alternative form of architectural/urban practice and a multi-layered participation process that enables the meaningful involvement of local communities, civil society, stakeholders and researchers/practitioners in developing alternative visions for urban transformations.
4. Underrepresentation of Marginalised Groups and Rights of Nature:
The project explores institutional changes and cultural shifts that would enable the meaningful recognition and involvement of underrepresented groups and the protection of the rights of nature in planning processes. It offers solutions for better bottom-up and top-down collaborations that can mitigate issues of mis- or under-representation.
5. Extractive Cultures of Control over Nature:
The project organises cultural activities that foster the reconnection of communities and individuals with nature while also promoting cultures of care, repair and maintenance. In doing so, it counters prevalent, extractive cultures of control over nature and offers insights into how they might be transformed.
The first year of the project’s implementation consists of three phases:
Phase 1: During the first phase of the project the core team is established consisting of the lead architect/urbanist (author) and three interdisciplinary members (marine biology and coastal governance specialist, sociologist/filmographer and visual artist/activist). The team undertakes research and fieldwork and prepares sketch designs for the three scenarios. It identifies and contacts participants to arrange interviews and design workshops. Through these activities (that are recorded), the team develops the design scenarios and organises a public activity at the end of Phase 1 to present and collectively discuss the scenarios.
Phase 2: The team processes the feedback from the first public activity. It integrates it in the design scenarios and adjusts the design and participation process. The team identifies and contacts more participants for interviews and design workshops. Through the input from these activities (that are recorder), it develops further the design scenarios and organises the second public activity at the end of Phase 2 to present and collectively discuss the scenarios.
Phase 3: The team processes the feedback from the second public activity and integrates it in the design scenarios and the planning of the main event. The team processes the material gathered during Phase 1 and Phase 2 to prepare for and organise the main event and the production of the final outputs of the project. The main event consists of an exhibition of the three design scenarios, an open, moderated round-table discussion, site-specific activities co-organised with the local community and a social event/closing ceremony. Together with the main event, the outputs of the project include a short film and publication about the research and design process of the project, a toolkit about the participatory design processes and a documentation and reflection on the process and outcomes of the project.
Phase 1: During the first phase of the project the core team is established consisting of the lead architect/urbanist (author) and three interdisciplinary members (marine biology and coastal governance specialist, sociologist/filmographer and visual artist/activist). The team undertakes research and fieldwork and prepares sketch designs for the three scenarios. It identifies and contacts participants to arrange interviews and design workshops. Through these activities (that are recorded), the team develops the design scenarios and organises a public activity at the end of Phase 1 to present and collectively discuss the scenarios.
Phase 2: The team processes the feedback from the first public activity. It integrates it in the design scenarios and adjusts the design and participation process. The team identifies and contacts more participants for interviews and design workshops. Through the input from these activities (that are recorder), it develops further the design scenarios and organises the second public activity at the end of Phase 2 to present and collectively discuss the scenarios.
Phase 3: The team processes the feedback from the second public activity and integrates it in the design scenarios and the planning of the main event. The team processes the material gathered during Phase 1 and Phase 2 to prepare for and organise the main event and the production of the final outputs of the project. The main event consists of an exhibition of the three design scenarios, an open, moderated round-table discussion, site-specific activities co-organised with the local community and a social event/closing ceremony. Together with the main event, the outputs of the project include a short film and publication about the research and design process of the project, a toolkit about the participatory design processes and a documentation and reflection on the process and outcomes of the project.
