Social Housing Archives

Cross-Border Pilot with Prague

Challenge: How to engage the citizens in participatory planning?
Cross-Border Pilot with Porto and Amsterdam

KU Leuven – Breaking Boundaries with Situated Surveys

How to involve residents in urban decision-making and take their insights into account? With the fast development of European cities, which are becoming denser and more diverse, it is essential to engage citizens in how the city should grow. The Situated Surveys of KU Leuven gave us an answer by bringing a part of the urban planning process to the residents’ everyday-life. In Prague, Porto, and Amsterdam, the project’s Citizen Dialog Kit survey devices allow citizens to share their thoughts on a simple, immediate, and inclusive bottom-up urban planning approach. The easy-to-use devices are distributed in public places and gather real-time feedback from the participants. This solution addresses contextual and social challenges, improving the quality and sustainability of city decision-making and overall fostering a more satisfied and inclusive European community.

Challenge: How to improve the thermal comfort and overall health in residential buildings?

Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research – Porto Sense

Household environment profoundly impacts human health. PortoSense aims to improve thermal comfort and the overall health quality within residential spaces. The proposal intends to develop a user-friendly tool that offers residents in-depth knowledge of homes’ environmental conditions and crucial data about their living spaces in an accessible manner, and to combine a human-centred design and co-design sessions to prototype a digital recommendation system to passively enhance living conditions.

The proposal includes a collaboration with residents in urban rehabilitation areas, conducting focus groups to identify needs, evaluate sensing systems, and empower users with best practices. Summing up, PortoSense is developing a digital solution that not only monitors living conditions but empowers users with clear data for effective action. In an sustainability-driven age, this pilot aims for life improvements without the complexities of major renovations.