Inclusive design of recreational & therapeutic facilities

General Description

Sustainable forest trails are created to connect different facilities in an athletic complex. The trim track is equipped with information stations providing visitors with information on healthy lifestyles. Installed sensors track the movement of visitors for counting and analysis. The different facilities are designed and strategically placed to ensure inclusion of all users. Offered activities & therapeutic services enhance the H&WB of visitors, while wearables are used to actively track the activities and directly monitor the H&WB. Educational and social events facilitate knowledge exchange and inter-departmental collaboration.

Timeline to reach full potential

0-2 years

Co-benefits & spatial impact assessment

Co-creation roadmap

Lessons learnt

Co-creation process

Local Adaption: Redevelopment does not occur in a vacuum and efforts should be made to harmonize with the existing environment and other projects that have been completed or are ongoing.
Tailored Communication: Discussions on usability of facilities revealed that not everyone’s needs could be met, showing the need for a concise and tailored communication approach
Managing Expectations: Co-implementation seemed difficult for construction of the solutions (except tree-planting or greening exercises), which shows the importance of defining expectations from the start and setting up creative exercises for the co-implementation phase.

Implementation process

General

Need for Specialized Expertise: High levels of expertise were required both from the city staff (project team members) and from the external contractors.
On-time Specialized Expertise intervention: Including experts on biodiversity, spatial planners and legal experts since the early stages of the project is crucial.
Planning & Feasibility: Securing approvals in the early stages of the project, during preparation stage.
Efficient internal management: Good collaboration and interactive actions between municipality’s departments and teams, are required. Strengthening multidisciplinary project teams and coordination.
GDPR legislation: Varying from country to country in Europe, legal restrictions on the matter can cause important challenges and delays. Therefore, it is highly recommended to perform a complete market analysis already during the preparation stage.
Cost management: Unforeseen inflation caused rise in costs for works, services & supplies. Anticipation actions, such as searching supplementary funding or other cost management mitigation actions need to be planned in advance.