Design for Participation

Abstract

Over the past decades, a culture that rapidly produces, consumes and discards earthly resources is established. The extraction and processing of these resources lead to an increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions which are warming the planet day by day. In 2016 the European Union signed the Paris-agreement. This agreement aims to avoid this dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to 1.5°C (EU, 2016). To accomplish, the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), introduced the Klimaatakkoord. Among other things, the Klimaatakkord acknowledges the transition to a circular economy as an essential strategy to accomplish the EU goals. By 2050, the Netherlands aims to be a circular economy where products and materials are reused in endless loops. This thesis focuses on the disposal of bulky waste, such as household goods or private construction materials. These type of products are usually discarded at the municipal recycling facility. The assignment explores on behalf of de BUCH (Bergen, Uitgeest, Castricum, Heiloo) municipalities alternatives for bulky waste disposal. The project takes off at the idea of a circular centre; a concept developed by Rijkswaterstaat. Circular centres are municipal recycling facilities, where not only waste is processed but also various recycling alternatives are offered. The role of the residents living in de BUCH area is identified as key-enabler in the transition towards a local circular economy. The plans for a circular centre in de BUCH also describes the active involvement and contributions of residents as an essential success factor. Currently, only a limited amount of people is actively engaged in circular activities. To make the circular centre a broadly supported success, it requires a different attitude and behaviour towards used materials for many residents. This project investigates how resident participation in circular initiatives can be encouraged in various ways. Literature on behavioural change has been consulted and models developed by Fogg (2009), Tromp (2013) and van Lieren (2018) were practised. The current attitude and the behaviour of residents regarding product disposal was obtained through interviews and a questionnaire. New roles for the residents has been established according to this data. The roles were held against Fischer’s model for richer ecologies of participation (2011). The obtained knowledge was translated into concepts and discussed with residents. A research-through-design approach was practised to identify barriers for participation and apply universal behavioural strategies in more tangible ways. These concepts were assessed by the residents using video prototypes. The following interviews provided insight into the barriers for participation and the possible strategies that could lower them. Based on these insights and insights from earlier phases, a toolkit has been developed which helps the municipality to design initiatives together with its residents. The toolkit aims to design interventions that overcome the barriers for participation and enhance resident participation at higher levels. A number of the barriers and behavioural strategies have been evaluated through an intervention at the municipal recycling facility. The toolkit consists of 3 design canvasses poster and a card set. During the use of the toolkit, interventions are created by means of a user journey. The user journey provides an easy way to identify the barriers for participation. The included cards present a set of common barriers. The barrier cards link to strategies that can be applied to overcome them. The strategy cards can be used as an inspiration during the enhancement of new participatory circular initiatives.