Regenerating shopping mall interiors through stakeholder engagement and participatory design

Purpose This paper explores how participatory design approaches contribute to the regeneration of shopping mall interiors, with a specific focus on the design and spatial configuration of public restroom areas – critical, yet often overlooked, components of user experience in commercial environments. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a case study methodology, the research combines user surveys, stakeholder interviews and spatial analysis to investigate the participatory redesign process of restroom facilities in Kentpark Shopping Mall, Ankara. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative tools to evaluate user needs and the resulting spatial changes. Findings The findings demonstrate that engaging multiple stakeholders – including users, maintenance staff and management – through participatory methods leads to more inclusive, functional and context-sensitive interior solutions. In particular, data gathered through participatory processes directly informed the redesign of the public restrooms, resulting in significant improvements in layout, accessibility and spatial efficiency. Practical implications The study offers a replicable model for incorporating participatory design into the regeneration of commercial interior spaces. It shows how empirical data collection and stakeholder input can be translated into the actual design of wet spaces, such as public restrooms, enhancing both usability and facility performance in aging shopping malls. Originality/value This research contributes to the limited body of literature on participatory design in commercial interiors by foregrounding restrooms as a meaningful site of spatial regeneration. It bridges the fields of interior architecture, spatial design research and facility management.