Children Participatory Design Workshops: An Approach for Built Environment Education (BEE)

Abstract

In response to the environmental crisis and its multiple consequences that threat almost all walks of life, and seeking means towards better quality of life, the UN (United Nations), through its Sustainable Development Goals SDGs and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, together with the UIA (International Union of Architects) through its numerous work programs and charters - are striving to reinforce awareness between architects and community about built environment design and its impact on their living conditions. Considering children and youth as the primary stakeholders and their active participation to decision-making is important for both children to have a voice in processes and for adults to listen their contributions to achieve and leave a sustainable future. From retrospection, Environmental Awareness (EA) is defined as concern for what is happening in the environment, and Environmental Knowledge (EK) is defined as an understanding of the basic fundamentals in the environment. It is argued that raising children’s environmental knowledge and awareness is the basis for all the above mentioned challenges. The study at hand argues that introducing participatory design to children can actually raise not only children’s, but also their parents‟ awareness about the relationship between the built and natural environment and about the link between sustainable development and the quality of life. It is further argued that introducing design to children at such an early age is undoubtedly to promote their innate sustainable thinking approach towards the essence of “quality of life”. Our aim, therefor, is to introduce a model for introducing participatory design to children in Egypt, through which Environmental Awareness and Knowledge are manifested. The the significant importance of this study is regarded as an evitable paradigm shift, in response to our local contemporaneous challenges; our environmental crisis, our built environment deterioration, and the degrading credibility of our profession in the eyes of the Egyptian society. The methodology is based on reviewing the available literature on the topics of built environment education, participatory design, environmental knowledge and environmental awareness. Following, is an election of concepts argued as prerequisites for engaging young children in a participatory approach towards raising their environmental knowledge and awareness. Concepts are further examined empirically through a series of real life children and youth participatory-design workshops. Showcasing the workshops is expected to signify the validity of the approach. Concluding, the paper ends by providing a significant model that can be applied in schools, cultural centers, community and children amenities. It is anticipated that applying such a model will not only prepare the children for their future roles as good citizens, but will also reunite architects and educators together to deliver out sustainability concepts through built environment education. Hence, endorsing the role of architects are facilitators towards their community development responsibilities through participation.