Politopia steps in where knowledge of the local area must become a basis for decision-making and planning.
Politopia supports local authorities, planners and design teams at times when a project needs to gain a better understanding of its local area, engage its users and transform their experiences of the project.
Our projects combine field observation, participation, mapping, data analysis, experimentation and collaborative design.
From understanding the local area to transforming the project.
01 / READING THE TERRAIN
Revealing what conventional assessments fail to show. Before asking residents what they want, it is sometimes necessary to start by looking at what they actually do. Politopia observes everyday practices, routes, patterns of movement, places people frequent or avoid, and informal uses to build a context-specific understanding of the area.
méthodes
ATLAS OF USAGE
NEIGHBOURHOOD SURVEYS
EXPLORATORY MARKET RESEARCH
ON-SITE OBSERVATION
PARTICIPATORY PHOTOGRAPHY
SENSITIVE MAPPING
INTERVIEWS & RESIDENTS’ ACCOUNTS
A local authority wishes to transform a large square that is currently little used. Technical assessments describe the space, its footfall patterns and its constraints, but do not explain why residents avoid it. Following an in-depth study of the site, Politopia has drawn up an ‘Atlas of Uses’ which reveals the routes actually taken, hidden uses, conflicts between different times of day, and areas with potential for revitalisation.
02 / GET INVOLVED
Not all residents participate in the same way. Some attend public meetings; others never set foot in a workshop.
Politopia designs participation schemes tailored to the location, the target audience and the project’s timeline, combining on-the-ground presence, mobile initiatives and digital tools.
méthodes
ENHANCED CONSULTATION
COMMUNITY SURVEYS
DOOR-TO-DOOR & BUILDING ENTRANCE SURVEYS
PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS
GUIDED WALKS
PARTICIPATORY PHOTOGRAPHY
COLLABORATIVE MAPPING
DIGITAL PLATFORMS & CONTRIBUTIONS
A local authority is preparing to regenerate a social housing neighbourhood but has noticed that the same people always attend the public meetings. Politopia carries out a community-based survey: door-to-door visits, staff stationed at the foot of blocks of flats, meetings in public spaces and digital micro-surveys. The responses are then geolocated and analysed to identify the different user profiles and their concerns. The local authority gains not only feedback, but also a structured understanding of the experiences and needs of the neighbourhood’s various groups.
03 / CO-PLANNING
Transforming uses into scenarios, programmes and project decisions.
Participation must not stop at simply presenting the results.
Politopia supports the translation of residents’ insights into operational terms for the project: scenarios, programmes, planning principles, specifications or design guidelines.
méthodes
USER SCENARIOS
CO-CREATION WORKSHOPS
MODELS & PROTOTYPES
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
USER-DRIVEN PROGRAMMING
VISUALISING THE FUTURE
DISCUSSION WORKSHOPS
An architectural firm is working on the refurbishment of a public facility and needs to decide between several spatial layouts.
Politopia transforms the results of the consultation into five usage scenarios.
During a co-creation workshop, residents, staff and future users test the different scenarios, rearrange them, combine them and identify their advantages and limitations. The designers are provided with directly usable input to develop the project further, and the client has well-founded arguments to help them make a decision.
04 / ANTICIPATING & TESTING
Exploring possible futures before making a decision.
A project transforms a territory that does not yet exist.
Politopia uses simulation, visualisation, data and digital tools to enable stakeholders to compare possible futures, test hypotheses and anticipate their effects.
méthodes
ENHANCED CONSULTATION
AI-BASED ANALYSIS OF CONTRIBUTIONS
DATA CROSS-REFERENCING
FORWARD-LOOKING MAPPING
SCENARIO VISUALISATION
PROTOTYPING & USER TESTS
DIGITAL PARTICIPATION TOOLS
A city must choose between several scenarios for the redevelopment of a thoroughfare currently dominated by cars. Rather than presenting three scenarios solely in the form of plans, Politopia creates, for each one, a visual representation of possible uses: transport, parking, shops, greenery, social spaces and patterns of use over time.
Existing data is cross-referenced with the results of the public consultation. Residents’ contributions can be analysed and grouped to highlight recurring themes, contradictions and areas requiring attention. The scenarios are then presented in the form of maps and visualisations, enabling their implications to be debated.
The decision is no longer simply about three drawings, but about three different ways of living in and managing the area