Participation for Real

Since the 1970s participation has been part of urban and architectural discourse in various ways and varying emphasis. Building on this history, Participation for Real questions the practices of participatory design today and the roles architects and planners play while facing certain challenges. The book outlines the challenges and joys of participatory processes in architecture and urbanism in the 2020s in Brussels and Flanders. It is a collective diary, composed of confessions from the field. Built upon a series of workshops organised by Timelab and the Flanders Architecture Institute, the book explores many facets of participatory practice.The authors reflect on the constraints of budgeting and timing, the effects of individualism in society at large, the position of architects and designers, and novel approaches to inclusion and diversity, among others.

Hülya Ertas

Flanders Architecture Institute, 2026

20 X 13 cm, 84 pages