Activating concrete: participatory design for DIY skate dots. City Mill Skate’s practice-based methodology at the UCL east campus

This article is about the participatory research processes used by City Mill Skate in London, UK, where public consultation was used to enhance meanwhile space on a university campus. The project aimed to promote equality in sport participation and in designing for the public realm. Through a program of community engagements beginning in the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, co-designed model ‘skate dots’ became full scale skateable architecture. Designing spaces for skateboarding can open up a paradox between the disruptive and the institutional as many facilities are ‘DIY’ - built by skateboarders. Participatory design enacted skater-made material concepts to change the use of a university campus. DIY urbanism effects the ‘ownership’ of spaces which in turn impacts experiences of belonging. This research offers important insights into how relations of culture, place and learning can inform our understanding of community action. This paper documents practice-based methodologies that encourage a diverse set of contributors, acknowledge the need for safe public spaces, increase biodiversity, and attempt to respond to the unique set of environmental concerns that govern public/private parks. By employing strategies and tactics, the research methodology seeks to include insights from groups who have been under-represented in the construction of skateboard facilities.