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

Julia Gäckle; Mariia Chebotareva; Bianka Plüschke-Altof; Jannis Meul; Ilkka Väänänen; Shreya Utkarsh; Axel Timpe; Frank Lohrberg; Taru Suutari; Eva Maaherra Lovheim; Tadhg MacIntyre

doi:10.17645/up.9118

Article | Open Access

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

Julia Gäckle Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Mariia Chebotareva School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Estonia / School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, Estonia
Bianka Plüschke-Altof School 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, Estonia
Jannis Meul Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Ilkka Väänänen Faculty of Health Care, LAB University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Shreya Utkarsh ICLEI European Secretariat, Germany
Axel Timpe Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Frank Lohrberg Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Taru Suutari Municipality of Lahti, Finland
Eva Maaherra Lovheim Municipality of Umeå, Sweden
Tadhg MacIntyre Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Ireland

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Abstract: 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.

Keywords: art-based methods; co-creation; equitable cities; inclusivity; Nature-based Solutions; SDG 11; seedbed intervention; sustainable planning; urban green spaces

Published: 13 March 2025

Issue: Vol 10 (2025): The Role of Participatory Planning and Design in Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (In Progress)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17645/up.9118

© Julia Gäckle, Mariia Chebotareva, Bianka Plüschke-Altof, Jannis Meul, Ilkka Väänänen, Shreya Utkarsh, Axel Timpe, Frank Lohrberg, Taru Suutari, Eva Maaherra Lovheim, Tadhg MacIntyre. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction of the work without further permission provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Urban Planning

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2183-7635

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