How can we better understand whether a public space supports social resilience and a sense of belonging? And how can placemakers move beyond intuition to make these qualities visible, measurable, and actionable?
This outdoor workshop introduces participants to a data-driven approach to placemaking through the lens of human needs. Working in a public space in Wrocław, participants will learn and apply our original interdisciplinary framework of 11 User Needs, developed to diagnose how public environments support everyday experiences, behaviors, and social relationships.
During a guided field assessment, participants will observe and analyze the space from multiple user perspectives, identifying which needs are well supported and which remain unmet. The workshop will demonstrate how research-based observations can reveal hidden barriers to inclusion, social interaction, and place attachment, while also uncovering opportunities for meaningful spatial improvements.
The session combines perspectives from architecture, environmental psychology, sociology, and urban design, offering participants practical perspective that can be applied in planning, design, placemaking, and public engagement processes. By the end of the workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how spatial qualities influence human behavior and how evidence-based diagnosis can strengthen the impact of placemaking interventions.
More information about the methodology is available at
jazplus.pl/ias.
