... people's stories shape better places to live.
We design public spaces that serve the people who use them every day. Our studies aren't just desk work — they emerge in dialogue with residents, the city, and other stakeholders affected by the transformation of a place. Participation is, for us, neither a formality nor an add-on to the process — it's a way of telling real needs apart from first impressions, and turning them into solutions that work in the place for the long term. We don't see a public hearing or workshop as a box to tick, but as a source of first-hand information. People show us how a space is actually used, what already works in it, what should stay, and what needs to change. Thanks to this, our studies are grounded not in assumptions but in the real life of the location.
"When people see that their input actually changes something, they make the transformation of their surroundings their own — and take better care of it."
How do we do it?
For public space projects, we usually recommend that the city bring in Participace měst. A team with extensive experience running participation processes in large cities and on complex projects. The division of roles is clear: the researchers set up and moderate the entire resident-engagement process and, at the right moment, hand over verified findings. We usually take part in the participation meetings ourselves and answer the specific questions that come up along the way. As architects, we then draw on these outputs to refine and adjust the design.
Tools are chosen according to the character of the place and the project:
- Field research directly on site, among the buildings, where we observe how the space really lives and what already works in it.
- Surveys and joint priority setting, which turn many voices into a clear, legible brief.
- Public workshops and meetings, where residents share their experiences, point out problem spots, and help define the neighborhood's needs.
- Working with active residents in smaller groups where it makes sense to go deeper.
- Joint presentation of the study, where we open up discussion on a near-final version and fine-tune the last details.
What does this get us? ... Well-run participation pays off for everyone!
- The city gains solid, publicly defensible groundwork, along with input for its project and a smoother process overall.
- Architects gain valuable on-the-ground insights that sharpen the design itself. The brief from the city becomes more precise and takes on clearer contours.
- Residents gain the assurance that the transformation of their surroundings happens with respect — not imposed from above, but together with them.
The result is a public space built not just on visualizations, but on the needs of the local community — with the potential to become a natural center of everyday life. We believe that quality public space architecture emerges through dialogue. Open, sensitive, human-centered urban planning is, for us, a natural part of good design.
Selected participation projects:
Revitalization of the Šestidomí site, Trutnov – a public space study for a housing estate, whose near-final form we opened up for public discussion together
Revitalization of the Stodůlky site, Humpolec – a several-month-long participation process that brought together the city, architects, and the community in transforming a residential district from the 1970s.
Center for palliative care Cibulka - The Cibulka center study draws on interviews with parents of terminally ill children and palliative care providers, shaping a design that feels more like a spa retreat than a medical facility.
Senior housing in Dubá - In Dubá, interviews with seniors and city officials shaped the vision for the future senior housing. Seniors value self-sufficiency, freedom, and privacy, and would see the facility only as a last resort.