An update on the progress of our project as we move into a new and creative phase, led by Professor Maria Chatzichristodoulou, Principal Investigator and Work Package 4 Lead.
Listening to Community Voices
Over the past year, we have been listening closely to community members through storytelling workshops, focus groups, and community-led walks. These conversations revealed not only the strengths and assets that shape everyday life – such as parks, libraries, museums, riverside walks, festivals, and cultural events – but also the barriers that prevent people from making the most of them. For many, these spaces could be a vital resource for wellbeing and social connection, yet they remain out of reach due to accessibility, awareness, or inclusivity challenges. What we heard has given us a deeper understanding of both the pride and the challenges within our communities. Inspired by these voices, we are now taking the next step: co-designing solutions side by side.
Beginning the Co-Design Journey
Our most recent workshop marked the start of the co-design stage of the project. Unlike traditional research or planning processes, co-design puts community voices at the heart of the work. Instead of decisions being made for communities, the aim is to work with them – collaboratively generating ideas and solutions.
The session was led by Rosie Hornbuckle, a facilitator from the University of the Arts London, who specialises in bringing people together to design creative responses to complex challenges. During the workshop, participants revisited the assets identified in earlier stages and explored which ones felt most important or meaningful. We then started to think about the challenges specific to those resources: for example, what might make a library or museum feel inaccessible, or what stops people from enjoying nearby green spaces? This step is crucial, because it helps us begin to link the issues communities face with the resources that could support wellbeing if they were easier to access or use.
Mapping the Ideal User Journey
To help participants think about these challenges in a practical, person-centred way, the workshop included an ideal user journey exercise. Each group was asked to imagine a ‘persona’ – a fictional character blending traits and experiences from real people in the community and their stories – and map their journey along a squiggly line. The starting point represented where that person might be in their everyday life, and the end point was when they had successfully accessed a place like a park, library, or museum and felt comfortable, safe, and enriched by the experience.
Groups explored important questions along the way:
- How does someone come to understand that visiting this place could benefit their wellbeing?
- Who supports them to make that journey?
- What needs to happen to make them feel welcome, safe, and like they belong?
- How can stigma around mental health be addressed as part of that journey?
This exercise encouraged participants to think not just about the physical space itself, but about the support networks, organisations, and social factors that enable someone to engage with it positively. It brought to life the barriers people face and the opportunities to design interventions that make those journeys easier and more fulfilling.
Imagining Possibilities
The workshop was intentionally playful and open-ended. We didn’t need to decide on final solutions; instead, the focus was on sparking imagination and exploring possibilities. By the end of the day, the group had generated a range of ideas that will act as stepping stones toward the next stage.
Over the coming months, these ideas will be refined through further co-design workshops, gradually shaping them into practical interventions that can be implemented within communities. The goal is to improve access to local resources, support mental health, and strengthen social connection.
This workshop is just the beginning of an exciting journey – and we look forward to sharing more as the process unfolds.
Photography by Angela Tozzi. Live capture illustrations by Palak Garg. This post was written by Dr Silke Zschomler, UAL, Research Fellow on The Abundance Project.
