Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå

The ongoing urbanisation and densification at the intersection with increasing environmental and health crises demand a holistic, equitable, and inclusive approach to urban planning, which has also been highlighted in the EU Green Deal’s inclusive approach to sustainable urban planning aligned with...

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Main Authors: Julia Gäckle, Mariia Chebotareva, Bianka Plüschke-Altof, Jannis Meul, Ilkka Väänänen, Shreya Utkarsh, Axel Timpe, Frank Lohrberg, Taru Suutari, Eva Maaherra Lovheim, Tadhg MacIntyre
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2025-03-01
Series:Urban Planning
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Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9118
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author Julia Gäckle
Mariia Chebotareva
Bianka Plüschke-Altof
Jannis Meul
Ilkka Väänänen
Shreya Utkarsh
Axel Timpe
Frank Lohrberg
Taru Suutari
Eva Maaherra Lovheim
Tadhg MacIntyre
author_facet Julia Gäckle
Mariia Chebotareva
Bianka Plüschke-Altof
Jannis Meul
Ilkka Väänänen
Shreya Utkarsh
Axel Timpe
Frank Lohrberg
Taru Suutari
Eva Maaherra Lovheim
Tadhg MacIntyre
author_sort Julia Gäckle
collection DOAJ
description The ongoing urbanisation and densification at the intersection with increasing environmental and health crises demand a holistic, equitable, and inclusive approach to urban planning, which has also been highlighted in the EU Green Deal’s inclusive approach to sustainable urban planning aligned with the UN SDGs’ “Leave No One Behind.” This article introduces the seedbed intervention as a novel, community-driven, co-creative approach to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that addresses gaps in equitable and inclusive urban planning frameworks. On the case of Umeå (Sweden), the article introduces the seedbed intervention approach and demonstrates how the approach facilitates the development of locally appropriate and sustainable NbS. The results show that the seedbed intervention approach improved the alignment between local needs and NbS design, connected diverse user groups, and catalysed curiosity, interest, and participation among citizens with the help of applying art-based methods. By demonstrating the practical application of a seedbed intervention, this research contributes to the development of scalable frameworks for more equitable and inclusive urban planning.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2183-7635
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Cogitatio
record_format Article
series Urban Planning
spelling doaj-art-06da0c99cc064a4e8667d89b2998a26f2025-08-20T03:42:35ZengCogitatioUrban Planning2183-76352025-03-0110010.17645/up.91184071Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of UmeåJulia Gäckle0Mariia Chebotareva1Bianka Plüschke-Altof2Jannis Meul3Ilkka Väänänen4Shreya Utkarsh5Axel Timpe6Frank Lohrberg7Taru Suutari8Eva Maaherra Lovheim9Tadhg MacIntyre10Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, GermanySchool of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Estonia / School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, EstoniaSchool of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Estonia / School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, Estonia / Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, EstoniaInstitute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, GermanyFaculty of Health Care, LAB University of Applied Sciences, FinlandICLEI European Secretariat, GermanyInstitute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, GermanyInstitute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, GermanyMunicipality of Lahti, FinlandMunicipality of Umeå, SwedenDepartment of Psychology, Maynooth University, IrelandThe ongoing urbanisation and densification at the intersection with increasing environmental and health crises demand a holistic, equitable, and inclusive approach to urban planning, which has also been highlighted in the EU Green Deal’s inclusive approach to sustainable urban planning aligned with the UN SDGs’ “Leave No One Behind.” This article introduces the seedbed intervention as a novel, community-driven, co-creative approach to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that addresses gaps in equitable and inclusive urban planning frameworks. On the case of Umeå (Sweden), the article introduces the seedbed intervention approach and demonstrates how the approach facilitates the development of locally appropriate and sustainable NbS. The results show that the seedbed intervention approach improved the alignment between local needs and NbS design, connected diverse user groups, and catalysed curiosity, interest, and participation among citizens with the help of applying art-based methods. By demonstrating the practical application of a seedbed intervention, this research contributes to the development of scalable frameworks for more equitable and inclusive urban planning.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9118art-based methodsco-creationequitable citiesinclusivitynature-based solutionssdg 11seedbed interventionsustainable planningurban green spaces
spellingShingle Julia Gäckle
Mariia Chebotareva
Bianka Plüschke-Altof
Jannis Meul
Ilkka Väänänen
Shreya Utkarsh
Axel Timpe
Frank Lohrberg
Taru Suutari
Eva Maaherra Lovheim
Tadhg MacIntyre
Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå
Urban Planning
art-based methods
co-creation
equitable cities
inclusivity
nature-based solutions
sdg 11
seedbed intervention
sustainable planning
urban green spaces
title Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå
title_full Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå
title_fullStr Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå
title_full_unstemmed Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå
title_short Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå
title_sort co creating change seedbed interventions as catalysts for equitable urban planning the case of umea
topic art-based methods
co-creation
equitable cities
inclusivity
nature-based solutions
sdg 11
seedbed intervention
sustainable planning
urban green spaces
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9118
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