The Missing Building Research

Reconstructing Places: The Missing Building and the Role of Community in Urban Design through Participatory Practices

Introduction

Cities are often shaped by factors quite distant from the people who live in them and use them, leading to a gap between how they life, and their (built) environment. As cities worldwide face gentrification challenges, rising inequality, and the increase lack of public spaces, the need for participatory design approaches that empower communities to co-create their built environment has never been more urgent.

This research, known as the Missing Building, will explore how participatory design can enhance belonging and identity in urban spaces, combining insights from architecture, education, and art, with the aim to inspire real urban change.

Building upon ideas from urban theorist Jane Jacobs (1961), who advocated for cities as vibrant, community-focused places, by placing residents in an important position of reimagining their (built) environments, by giving them a voice.

Building upon ideas from urban theorist Jane Jacobs (1961), who advocated for cities to be vibrant, community-focused places, Jacobs believed in placing residents at the centre of reimagining places (they live, work, play and study) essentially giving them a voice. Jacobs' critique of top-down urban planning feels especially relevant today, as neoliberal urbanism has further disconnected community members and residents from a decision-making process regarding their city.

Simultaneously, the project draws inspiration from Paulo Freire's (1970) theory of critical pedagogy, which emphasises the co-creation of knowledge—learning from one another—and positions education as a practice of freedom.

This research addresses an important gap in urban design by merging these theories to engage marginalised or underrepresented groups in shaping their environments. While participatory design has gained traction recently, much of the literature focuses on its technical applications rather than its potential as a pedagogical and emancipatory tool. By highlighting participatory design as a means not only of transforming physical spaces but also of fostering new forms of urban identity, community cohesion, and democratic engagement, this work contributes meaningfully to the field (Sanders & Stappers, 2008; Manzini, 2015).

The Missing Building project, conceived initially as a local participatory arts commission in Chester, UK, has evolved into a doctoral thesis and seeks to engage with local (60 families in Chester) plus online international participants from diverse backgrounds and asks one simple question: What building is missing? The participants will be asked to design 3D models (60 physical models from Chester, and several digital ones from online participants) to reflect their interpretations of what building is missing in their city landscape.

This research will build on the tradition of Arts-Based Research (ABR), which Graeme Sullivan identifies as a critical method for uncovering the subjective, emotional, and often abstract dimensions of human experience (2006). The creative outputs (surveys and but especially the artefacts: 3d models) will serve as both data, as well as a creative method through which urban identity and belonging will be explored.

Moreover, this project is situated within the broader discourse on urban transformation in the context of “liquid modernity” (Bauman, 2000), where cities are in constant flux, shaped by shifting economic, political, and social forces. Participatory design, combined with arts-based methods, will offer a clear and flexible approach to the research. Urban spaces are linked environments, where residents' social actions constantly shape and change the city (Amin and Thrift, 2002).

The Missing Building project connects with the city of Chester by bringing together architecture and urban life through real experiences and memories.

I will use an autoethnographic approach to reflect on my role as a researcher, architect and creative practitioner, as well as my own sense of belonging and collective identity to the city as a Portuguese immigrant living and working in Chester, and be mindful that it could affect the research as well as the co-creation process. This reflexive stance will be crucial in ensuring that the research remains democratic, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the participants, in line with Freire’s emphasis on dialogue and co-construction of knowledge.

In sum, The Missing Building aims to create a dialogic space where participants can reflect on their urban environments, express their identities through creative design, and contribute to a more inclusive vision of urban transformation. This research thus not only contributes to the fields of urban design and education but also offers a model for how arts-based, participatory methodologies can be used to foster greater social equity and community empowerment in the shaping of cities.

Pilot Project: 2020–2022

The Missing Building was initially developed as part of my final project for the MA in Creative Practices in Education, which I completed in 2020 and earned me a distinction as well as a Valedictory Award: the Susan M. Chance Award: Innovation in Education 2020. It was a very challenging period, while the majority of institutions and practitioners were developing and delivering programmes, I decided to create the Creative Emergency Kit, a product aimed at helping families enjoy creative, architecture-themed workshops at home. After finishing my MA, my tutors encouraged me to refine the idea further, so I submitted the project to an open call from the Hamilton Project for their Refresh Programme, a spring initiative designed to rejuvenate Chester's creative community following the pandemic.

In January 2021, I received a commission from the Hamilton Project to develop and distribute 30 Creative Emergency Kits. Each kit contained six architecture-themed workshops inspired by iconic Chester landmarks.

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I organised and curated an exhibition at CASC Gallery in early 2022, highlighting the 30 missing buildings made by families, with children's audio descriptions and an interactive installation of miniature houses, along with a musical composition inspired by day and night cycles, created in collaboration with Kevin Furlong. I also provided materials for visitors to create their own 'missing buildings,' resulting in an overwhelming response that filled the two long tables and much of the floor space.

My vision was at the end of the month we would have the two long tables full of missing buildings, but in reality, we not only had the two long tables, we also had most of the floor space occupied with missing buildings. It was another testament that I was doing something right, something the visitors were engaging with. Something that was accessible but also interesting enough to capture children, community and academics.

This is how it became the inspiration for this doctoral thesis. Four years since I first developed the idea, and two and a half years since the exhibition, I am prepared to take the project to the next stage.

Phase One: 2023–2025

Phase One of The Missing Building starts with an exhibition entitled Identity and Place at the Chester Art Studio, which is part of Castlefield Gallery’s New Art Spaces located in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre, coinciding with the Chester Photo Fest: Making Voices Heard. The exhibition is scheduled to open on the 25th of October until the 7th of November this year, and will delve into themes of identity, perception, and belonging. Although it is a photography exhibition, I decided to use a different medium. My installation will be placed in the three pillars of the room, and I will use words to communicate feelings of space and identity and ultimately belonging, which will hopefully encourage visitors to question their own. I will use fragmented texts and play with key viewpoints of the room, what is seen or not seen when you are in different positions. I will also play with two large mirrors that will represent being present/seen and the infinite.

The Chester Photo Fest exhibition serves as a connection between artistic expression and education. As I am currently teaching on the new interdisciplinary module (AD4000) that encompasses all six level four programmes within the Art and Design department. And it will be an opportunity to show that learning is not confined in a room, at a school or educational institution, things actually get more exciting when we leave the classroom.
The not nor installation, uses mirrors and fragmented text across a wall, inviting viewers to move around to read the text. This decision to use words instead of images in a photo exhibition serves as both an artistic statement—“art without art”—and a reflection on my position as an artist "not fully within, nor completely outside". From a single viewpoint, only fragments of text are visible, although in order to read the sentence the viewer will have to move through the space, echoing bell hooks' statement “Moving, changing, becoming—these are the conditions of our lives.” This design approach utilises triangulation theory to demonstrate how personal and collective identities are enriched through various perspectives, highlighting that viewing a subject from different angles leads to a clearer and more equitable understanding, merging Dewey’s concepts of experiential learning with de Certeau’s idea of ‘practiced places,’ indicating that art can serve as a venue for self-reflection and social change.

After this exhibition, I will start preparing for the solo exhibition that is scheduled for September/October 2025. This exhibition, similarly to the Pilor project will showcase 60 physical missing building models (and for the purpose of this paper, also known as artefacts). In addition to the models, there will be a screen projecting the digital models created by the online participants from around the world. These participants will use an online 3D modelling tool (which I am currently developing) to design their missing building. The exhibition will feature digital and physical models, fostering a dialogue that explores the interplay between local and international perspectives on urban design.

This phase incorporates a mixed-methods research approach that utilises triangulation analysis to examine data gathered from various sources: artefacts (physical and digital models), written reflections, and surveys, enhancing the credibility and depth of the research (Denzin, 2012). The integration of creative artefacts and qualitative insights will provide a thorough understanding of how participants engage with their cities, and how communities can reflect on their urban environments and co-develop the places where they live (Björgvinsson, Ehn, and Hillgren, 2010).

Phase Two: 2025–2028

Phase Two of The Missing Building represents a crucial shift from community involvement to data collection and research, which will also culminate with the conclusion of this doctorate. I will discuss the details of this further in this essay.

Phase Three: 2028 onwards

Phase Three represents the culmination and expansion of The Missing Building, as it transitions from the academic realm to its final community-focused stage, where the establishment of a learning centre through a Community Interest Company (CIC). This phase builds upon the research conducted in Phases One and Two, while also creating a sustainable model for long-term community engagement in participatory design, architecture, and urban planning.

Literature Review

This thesis will bring together urban design, education, and participatory design theorists such as Jane Jacobs, Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Maxine Greene, and Richard Sennett.
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Participatory Design and Urban Identity

Jane Jacobs has greatly inspired this project, particularly The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) where she advocates that human-centred urban spaces cannot emerge from top-down decision-making, she emphasises that cities thrive when diverse voices contribute to the development of urban spaces. Jacobs critiqued what he called neoliberal urbanism which he stressed that it disconnected the community not only from decision-making processes but also by prioritising large-scale, soulless buildings over the needs of human needs and scale (Jacobs, 1961, p. 143). Instead, she advocated for organic, grassroots approaches that empowered residents to shape their own environments, “eyes on the street” (Jacobs, 1961, p. 45) is a concept developed by Jacobs that highlights the role of everyday social interactions between residents and their built environment that will ultimately promote safety, cohesion, and vitality the city.

Jacobs’ call for decentralised, community-led urban planning also inspired Gehl's (2010) study of Copenhagen's pedestrian walkways and how local knowledge-based human-centred urbanism enhances social and economic consequences. Gehl (2010) found that Jacobs' mixed-use, walkable, and participatory design contributes "to improved social cohesion, enhanced safety, and increased civic engagement, demonstrating the potential of community involvement in urban transformation" (Brand & Dávila, 2013, p. 164)

Jacobs' (1961) focus on mixed-use urbanism and local knowledge is a great parallel with Freire's (1970) educational approach, which emphasises knowledge co-creation via praxis (reflection and action).

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Critical Pedagogy and Grassroots Participation

Paulo Freire’s concept of conscientização, described as the development of critical awareness through reflection and action, and its concept of "cultural action for freedom" (1970) that transforms design into a powerful act of defiance, also aligns with Jacobs' critique of centralised urban planning, which also relates with John Dewey's model of grass-roots participation. For Dewey is essential for confronting power structures that frequently silence marginalised voices.

Linking Participatory Design Theories to Urban Identity and Critical Pedagogy I will develop a triangulation analysis between Freire, Jacobs and John Dewey.

I will use Freire to demonstrate the need to challenge oppressive systems (1970, p. 96), while I will use Jacobs by working with participants (local and online communities) in shaping our/their environments (Jacobs, 1961), and Dewey (1938) by advocating experimental learning, connecting education with real-world experiences using the artefacts (physical and digital models) as ABR.

Through this triangulation analysis, I will delve into the Grassroots Participation movement whereby I will encourage the participants (local families and online participants) to engage in a decision-making process, as the plan is for those missing buildings to become proposals for the council. Freire, Jacobs, and Dewey all highlight Grassroots Participation or the Grassroots Movement essential for critical awareness, actively engaging with and transforming their environment, by empowering people to critically examine and reshape the world around them.

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Arts-Based Research (ABR) in Urban and Educational Contexts

Jacobs' urban theory, Freire’s critical pedagogy, hooks' engaged pedagogy, and Greene's emphasis on the imaginative, The Missing Building project crafts a transformative framework in which participants are not only reimagining their cities; they are participating in a larger process of social transformation. This comes to life most vividly through the project’s use of Arts-Based Research (ABR), a methodology that allows participants to express their experiences of urban identity and belonging in ways that transcend language. Sullivan (2006) asserts that art, as a mode of inquiry, opens up pathways to explore complex social issues that often resist conventional academic articulation. In The Missing Building, participants create 3D models, sketches, and digital designs—giving form to their interpretations of the “missing building.” These outputs serve both as concrete artefacts and as abstract representations, capturing the nuanced and evolving relationship between individuals and their urban environments.

Barone and Eisner (2012) state that ABR links with the emotional and personal aspects of experience, providing insights that more conventional methods may miss. In The Missing Building, participants are invited to design missing buildings –digital or physical artefacts/models – this creative engagement acts as a way to explore and uncover personal and shared stories about identity, belonging, and possibly exclusion. The artistic act is a journey into the deeper significance of urban spaces, making ABR more than just a technique; it becomes a transformative experience, even if the art is made by non-artists.

The Missing Building is not just about producing creative outputs but fostering a reflective process where participants critically engage with their environment, just like Freire’s (1970) cultural action for freedom (1970, p.160).

Sullivan (2006) and McNiff (1998) both talk about the power of art to heal and transform, and I’ve seen this play out in The Missing Building. When participants create their 'missing buildings,' it’s more than just imagining a new structure—it’s a way for them to confront memories of exclusion, absence, and identity.

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Position and Conceptual Framework

In integrating the theories of Freire (1970) and Jacobs (1961) with participatory design and ABM, The Missing Building develops a robust conceptual framework that centres the community in urban transformation. This research challenges the power structures inherent in urban planning by adopting a constructivist, democratic, and creative approach, ensuring that urban identity is shaped by the people who inhabit the city. By fostering a participatory process that empowers marginalized voices and embraces creative expression, the project offers a new model for inclusive urban development that is reflective of the community’s diverse needs, aspirations, and identities.

Ontological and Epistemological Foundations

Knowledge, as I understand it, is not a fixed, objective truth, waiting to be discovered but, instead, it is something that is created by my interaction with others.

As a consequence, this research will adopt a constructivist epistemology, which means that I believe knowledge is built socially through collaboration and involvement with others (Creswell, 2013; Guba & Lincoln, 1994).

Learning, from this perspective, is an active process where we make meaning and understanding (knowledge) based on our experiences. As Jerome Bruner emphasises in Toward a Theory of Instruction (1966) learning is inherently interactive, shaped by the social interactions that help us form new understandings. "The tutor and the learner are engaged in a dialogue in which the tutor's role is to stimulate the learner's own thinking rather than to provide answers to the problem. The social setting provides the context in which the learner can test out ideas and receive feedback" (1966, p73).

Assuming a constructivist approach, I am acknowledging that people's perceptions and understandings are deeply influenced by the wider social and cultural dialogues they engage in (Edwards, 1997; Potter & Wetherell, 1987; Bakhtin,1990). This suggests that our participants' experiences are not just personal—they're connected to the social and linguistic environments they live in, making them even more relevant to the project.

Being mindful of assumptions underlying the research (particularly the outcomes) especially because I have been working on it for so long, will help me appreciate how participants make sense of their realities through language and interaction (Corcoran, 2009). By considering these broader social dialogues, I will hopefully gain a better understanding of how experiences are formed and how they contribute to the collective knowledge within a community.

Using the constructivist model of knowledge in the missing building project lets me look into how people co-create knowledge through participatory design, and how their contributions will be shaped by what they have experienced together and how working together may lead to profound changes, in them, their perspectives of their place/belonging in the Chester and in the city itself.

Freirean Pedagogy and Jane Jacobs’ Urban Theory

One of the primary theories of this project will be Freire's critical pedagogy (1970). Participants are not merely responding to predetermined ideas when they are working on "their" missing buildings; they are actively contributing to the reshaping of their city. It is also relevant to mention Freire's concept of "cultural action for freedom" (1970, p56). In the same way that urban identity develops organically through community interaction, knowledge should also emerge through collective effort. Freire (1970) and Jacobs (1961) both emphasise that genuine transformation, whether in education or urban planning, commences with meaningful community involvement, and Jacobs (1961) also believes that cities thrive when they are "shaped" by the people who live in them.
Aligned with Freire’s (1970) critical pedagogy, this research will also incorporate Jacobs’ urban theories, particularly her critique of top-down urban planning and her advocacy for community-driven approaches.

Participatory Design and Democratic Innovation

The Missing Building is fundamentally rooted in participatory design, inspired by Lefebvre’s (1991) concept of the Right to the City and the democratic design principles outlined by Björgvinsson, Ehn, and Hillgren (2010). This method challenges conventional urban planning by prioritising the perspectives of the individuals who inhabit and engage with these environments on a daily basis. Through participatory design, The Missing Building serves as a platform for residents to engage with their urban surroundings and share their common hopes and dreams. The resulting designs go beyond mere aesthetics; they embody the essence of community identity and reflect shared values.

Björgvinsson et al. (2010) suggest that participatory design fosters adaptable and welcoming urban environments, a concept that The Missing Building embodies. In engaging workshops and design sessions, participants unite to discover what their city lacks, redirecting attention from corporate priorities to a transformation that centres on the community. This approach guarantees that the designs embody genuine experiences and shared memories, turning urban planning into a collective journey that resonates on both individual and community levels.

Arts-Based Methods (ABM) as a Democratic and Creative Process

Building on Carpenter and Horvath’s (2022) exploration of Co-Creation and the City, this project integrates Arts-Based Methods (ABM) as a central tool for participant engagement. ABM allows participants to engage with urban identity through creative expression, transforming their emotional, social, and spatial experiences into tangible designs.

ABM also aligns with Freire’s critical pedagogy, which seeks to create spaces for marginalized voices to be heard. By using art as a means of knowledge production, The Missing Building democratizes urban design, allowing participants to communicate non-verbal experiences and perspectives often overlooked in conventional planning. Carpenter (2022) and Sandercock & Attili (2010) underscore the importance of embodied and affective knowledge in urban planning, which ABM captures through 3D models and other creative outputs. This aligns with Jacobs’ (1961) belief that urban spaces should reflect the everyday life of their residents, fostering social capital and community bonds through shared experiences.

Research Design

Methodology: Autoethnography

I selected autoethnography as the methodology for my study because it develops a deep, introspective relationship between personal experiences and larger social, cultural, and communal contexts. According to Ellis and Bochner (2000), autoethnography blends parts of autobiography and ethnography, giving a rich way to investigate how personal engagement in a specific cultural setting may reveal deeper insights and create more meaningful knowledge. This method fits perfectly with The Missing Building project, where the researcher takes on two roles: actively engaging in the design process while also observing and analysing how community members interact with urban identity.
This study explores the intersection of personal stories, emotional involvement, and real-life experiences with larger themes of community-focused urban change through the lens of autoethnography. This approach encourages a deeper insight into how the researcher's engagement with participants—consisting of 60 families and online contributors—affects the ongoing development of the 'missing building.' By engaging in personal reflection, autoethnography uncovers both the creative results and the social, emotional, and political factors that shape the participatory design process (Adams et al., 2014).
This approach resonates with Paulo Freire’s focus on collaboration and conversation in critical education. Freire promotes an educational approach that emphasises collaboration between learners and educators, fostering knowledge creation through meaningful dialogue and reflection. This educational approach reflects the collaborative essence of The Missing Building, where the researcher and participants work together to develop an understanding of urban identity. Reflexivity plays a crucial role in autoethnography, keeping the researcher mindful of their impact on the process. This awareness encourages a continuous critical examination of the connections between personal experiences and community dynamics in urban co-creation.

Arts-Based Research (ABR)

According to Leavy (2020), ABR is a unique approach to qualitative research that gathers information via creative expression. Making use of digital designs, sketches, and 3D models as creative tools. The creative works not only provide a platform for the participants to convey their often-unspoken feelings about community, belonging, and identity, but they also reflect their ideas about the "missing building" that their city may have (Leavy, 2020). Graeme Sullivan's view of art as a means of inquiry fits this line as the artistic process results in fresh ideas. In the context of The Missing Building, ABR opens up the research process by enabling participants to share their ideas through unconventional methods. These creative artefacts serve as important indicators that go beyond mere physical designs; they reflect the participants' connection to urban space and their shared hopes for the future of their cities.
This creative approach also aligns with Jane Jacobs’ (1961) concepts of community-focused urban development. Jacobs suggested that lively city areas develop naturally from the daily exchanges among the people who live there. This project utilises ABR to connect with genuine, lived experiences, employing art as a means to illustrate and bring to life how residents view and engage with their urban surroundings. Furthermore, ABR, similar to Jacobs’ critique of top-down urban planning, guarantees that the voices of participants are essential to the design process, highlighting their influence in shaping urban identity.

Triangulation Analysis and Mixed-Methods Data Collection

Triangulation is an important method in this research. It helps us look at the questions of urban identity from different angles, similar to finding a place by using several points on a map. This method started in mapping to find a specific spot using different reference points, and now it helps us understand urban identity from various perspectives and data sources. By bringing together different types of evidence, triangulation helps us better understand the complexities of urban spaces and identity. The aim is not just to check findings against each other but to bring together different stories and types of data to show the variety and depth of participant experiences (Hussein, 2009, p. 3).

Triangulation strengthens research by confirming evidence from different sources, providing a well-rounded view of urban identity (Hussein, 2009). This study uses triangulation in three different ways.

The 3D models made by participants, both physical and digital, are the main data for analysis. They serve as visual and tangible examples of how people envision 'missing' urban spaces. These artefacts are not only visually appealing; they carry a deeper meaning, reflecting the participants' views on urban identity, community, and change. Similar to Lefebvre’s view on how space is created, these models reflect what the participants think and value, giving us a glimpse into how they see the social connections in their environment. The models mix the abstract with the real, fitting well with the project's focus on participation and creativity. This approach helps us understand urban identity in a new light (Lefebvre, 1991, p. 39).

Participants’ thoughts and stories about their design choices are an important part of understanding the whole picture. These written responses tell a story about the models, explaining the creative choices and sharing more about how the participants feel and think about urban identity. By sharing these stories, we go deeper than just what we see to understand a more personal view of space, belonging, and community. This part of the analysis reflects Freire’s focus on dialogue as a way to develop critical awareness.

Triangulation in cartography integrates various data (check appendixes for more information) sources, including models, narratives, and surveys. It facilitates the exploration of urban identity from multiple perspectives, thereby enhancing our understanding of how individuals perceive, engage with, and transform their local environments. This approach fits well with the project's commitment to getting everyone involved and ensuring that all forms of expression—whether artistic, written, or statistical—are valued and contribute to our collective understanding of urban identity (Hussein, 2009). Through triangulation, we’re not just gathering data; we’re looking into the feelings and thoughts of communities, showing how they relate to, live in, and rethink their cities.

Ethics

The key concerns of this study are participants' autonomy, researchers' possible biases, and the cautious handling of any potential emotional risks. My objective is to conduct the research openly and honestly, while also ensuring that everyone feels comfortable and supported. Triangulation, informed consent, and member verification are among the techniques implemented in this research to create a supportive environment for all participants.
Before taking part in this project, both the families and the online (possibly international) participants, will be informed information about the project as well as its aims, research questions, and what their rights are. We will continue to connect with Freire's idea of ‘conscientization’, where participants will agree/or not, to take part in the study and also to withdraw at any time. Their concept will not only be for research purposes of the thesis but also to allow their creative work (physical and digital models) to be shared publicly in the exhibition next year, which will highlight the shared ownership of what is created together.
Also important to mention that we will use member checking to make sure that the voices of participants are not only heard but truly represented. Participants therefore get the opportunity to review and validate the researcher's interpretation of their experiences throughout the study process. This step guarantees that the study participants' genuine thoughts and experiences are depicted in the stories, therefore overcoming the impact of the researcher's perspective. Through this reflective method, the research retains its democratic values and regards the participants as active participants rather than passive subjects of the study.
As Hussein (2009) points out, triangulation—verifying data from several sources to increase its validity—helps make the research more morally acceptable. This approach gathers polls, personal ideas, and artistic works. It reflects Jacobs's concept of having "eyes on the street," therefore guaranteeing that many points of view are taken into account and that more prominent storylines do not eclipse the central vision.
Jacobs highlighted how our daily interactions influence our cities. This research uses triangulation to ensure we hear various voices and experiences as we draw our conclusions.
When handling emotional risks, I keep in mind how personal the topics can be for participants, like their connections to their community, their identity, and their feelings of belonging or being left out. According to Freire's 1970, "cultural action for freedom," (p. 56), change may evoke intense emotions or ideas. Participants have the option to stop at any moment, hence the major emphasis throughout the study should be on their welfare. The initiative seeks to provide a secure environment for contemplation, invention, and communication. It seeks to live out the ideas of inclusive urban development and participatory design that it promotes, adhering ethical standards.

Conclusion

Reflecting on the Missing Building reveals the journey of a simple concept—a box for family workshops—that evolved into an art commission, one exhibition done two to go, an honorary award from Future Architecture (Online Pan-European Platform) (2020), a Valedictory Award for Innovation in Education 2020, a project worth backing up from Santander Universities (2022), turned into research through this doctoral study, with the hopes of materialising itself into an educational model and a physical (missing) building in Chester, UK.
"What is Chester's Missing Building?" served and continues to serve as a catalyst for encouraging participants to reflect on their built environment, aiming to influence both themselves and our shared awareness and consciousness (Freire, 1970).

The core foundations of this project were set out to create a sense of belonging by involving participants in artistic activities (Christoff, 2021) and prompting them to think about their surroundings. The project's success comes from more than just a display of art through 3D model buildings and installations, it comes from the way it encourages participants to embrace their right to share a story (together). The project invites participants to shift from passivity to active co-creation, embodying the concepts of Freire’s (1970) critical pedagogy and Bruner’s (1966) constructivist theories. These frameworks show that knowledge is created through active interaction with the world, framing the Missing Building as an educational and artistic project while making clear political and social statements (Cho, 2010, Freire, 1970).

The Missing Building is set to transform from a simple project into a comprehensive approach to education and has become an opportunity to develop a framework that unites participatory design and informal learning across various disciplines. This plan/model could be delivered to schools, for example, or applied independently as a community (educational) project that can sustain itself over time as long as it had a space and place for individuals to learn by engaging with experiences, working together, and connecting with the real world Freire, 1970). This project has the potential to be a ‘living classroom’ (Bache, 2008) in schools, galleries, or public spaces, showcasing the numerous possibilities that arise from combining teaching with creative practice (Schreglmann & Öztürk, 2018).

The exhibition beginning next week, leading up to the solo Missing Building exhibition in a year, will be a key moment in this project. The exhibitions will be more than just art and design displays; they aim to spark conversations, provoke thought, and hopefully encourage policy change. The installation for Place in Belonging, which will be open to the public next week will also serve as a prompt for a brief for a new cross-disciplinary course (AD4000) at the University of Chester, which I am very honoured to have been invited to teach on and to be a part of.

Looking ahead, The Missing Building’s path suggests the potential of developing an educational model that can easily expand, offering a straightforward, community-focused educational experience that will hopefully allow participants to connect with urban spaces, which will hopefully open further questions of community, space and place, belonging and identity (individual, cultural and collective) (Bauman, 2000).

The possibilities are big and I have great hopes that this project will serve as a comprehensive strategy/model aimed at impacting critical pedagogy, urban studies, creative practice, and participatory design, expanding the bounds of traditional education and urban design and experiences, providing participants (and myself) opportunities for learning, creativity, and collective growth (Freire, 1970, Jacobs, 1961). Ultimately, The Missing Building may well become the foundation of an innovative, participatory education model—one that equips individuals not only to engage with their environments but also to transform them. And maybe, one day, we might see ‘missing buildings’ take shape.

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Appendixes

Pilot Project

The Missing Building (Pilot Project) workshops:

Building a Bridge (inspired by the Dee Bridge), using toothpicks and marshmallows,
Building a Tree House (inspired by Grosvenor Park), using 3D wooden trees and wood sticks,
The Animal Architect (inspired by Chester Zoo), using paper and pencils to explore structures created by animals,
The Amphitheatre (inspired by the Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre), using small wooden blocks with letters, glue and paper,
The Roman Walls (inspired by Chester’s Roman Walls), using cello tape and paper straws,
The Missing Building: at this point participants would have no material left, so they would have to use the box.

In June 2021 I distributed all 30 kits to families across Chester. I approached schools that I used to work with in Lache, Blacon and the city centre, each school named approximately 5/6 families. The schools chose families that they thought a) would most benefited from the project b) would want to be involved c) would complete the project. The remaining 8 families were selected through a call for participants on social media.

By August, I collected the missing buildings and presented them to the Hamilton Project. We then started conversations about presenting the buildings to the public, and they decided to look for more funds to make this possible. In January 2022 I received a second commission from the Hamilton project to for a public exhibition and some community and school workshops.

By June 2021 I had distributed the 30 kits to families in Chester and by August, I collected the 30 missing buildings and presented them to the Hamilton Project. We started discussions on showcasing the buildings, and in January 2022, I received a second commission from the Hamilton project for a public exhibition and community workshops at CASC Gallery in Chester

I curated an exhibition at CASC Gallery, in the old Chester Market, from February 18 to March 18. The exhibition showcased the 30 missing buildings created by the families, an audio piece with the children describing their project, and an installation designed for children, which featured two miniature frame houses and a musical composition I created in collaboration with my colleague and Senior Lecturer Kevin Furlong. The musical piece, inspired by the cycles of day and night, created a sensory and creative place that welcomed children.

I also thought it would be important to encourage visitors to create their missing building, so I placed long tables with paper, pencils, rulers, and various materials, inviting them to share their own thoughts and designs.

Over the course of a month, the exhibition had approximately 300 visitors, including two schools that participated in workshops, expanding on their experience of The Missing Building. I also developed and delivered workshops to the community and to a level 7 cohort which I was at that time teaching. The public exhibition and workshops inspired me to research more about participatory practices, particularly participatory design and its power and potential in creating meaningful community engagement and reflection on urban spaces.

*for more information and photos please visit: www.kitayaproject.com/selected-work

*to listen to the children talking about their missing building please visit: www.kitayaproject.com/copy-of-workshops

Literature review (appendixes)

Jane Jacobs' Urban Theory

Jacobs critiques top-down planning and supports community-driven initiatives. In Jacobs' work "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" (1961), she emphasises local knowledge and social interactions in creating thriving places or cities. In The Missing Building, Jacobs' ideas encourage participatory design to enable community members an opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas towards their urban surroundings.

Paulo Freire's Critical Pedagogy

Freires' work in Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970) promotes discourse, reflection, and knowledge co-creation, in particular the concept of conscientização, (Portuguese for critical awareness), promotes active participation in social change rather than passive information reception. although different fields and disciplines it makes a clear parallel with Jacobs' stands for community involvement in urban design since both theorists emphasise grassroots participation in opposing power hierarchies.

bell hooks ' Engaged Pedagogy

bell hooks' "engaged pedagogy," (1994, p.13) emphasises critical reflection, emotional involvement, and collaborative learning, and builds on Freire's concepts. hooks emphasises establishing active learning places which also supports the foundations of this project where participants discuss architectural gaps in their communities and urban environments.

Maxine Greene

Greene somehow brings Freire (pedagogy) and (hooks) urban design together. Her notion of "wide-awakeness" (1995, p.35) encourages critical perception and response to one's surroundings, creating possibilities.

Richard Sennett

for this thesis, I will use Sennett to stress the importance of the cities' relationships and social interactions with its users, especially residents. Sennett believes cities change and evolve with the interactions, they have or do not have with its residents.

Henri Lefebvre's Right to the City

Lefebvre's (1991) notion supports urban residents' right to alter their surroundings and contribute to urban space construction. The initiative prioritises local voices in urban design to ensure their needs and ambitions are important to planning.

Björgvinsson, Ehn, Hillgren’s Democratic Design Principles

These concepts encourage participatory design for adaptive and inclusive cities. Residents participate in seminars and design sessions to conceive and develop urban areas that represent their identities and beliefs.

Participatory Design and Urban Identity

Similar to Freire’s dialogical approach (1970, p. 88), hooks (1994) highlights the importance of creating environments where learners are active participants instead of just passive recipients of knowledge. These statements draw clear parallels with the missing building, where participants reflect on architectural gaps in their city/community express how these gaps relate to wider social and cultural dynamics and let participants challenge dominant narratives about their urban landscape and reclaim their agency.

Maxine Greene’s (1995) work also offers a critical perspective on participatory processes in education and urban design, by highlighting the importance of imagination in the creation of spaces of possibility, where individuals and communities can envision alternatives to their present realities. Greene’s call for “wide-awakeness” (1995, p.35) or the ability to critically perceive and respond to the world, is an important complement to Freire’s praxis. In The Missing Building, participants creatively construct physical and digital models of buildings that are not present and imagine new possibilities for their communities, strengthening the connection to place and identity.

Arts-Based Research (ABR) in Urban and Educational Contexts

In The Missing Building, ABR offers participants—especially those from underrepresented communities—a means of expressing their urban experiences in ways that transcend verbal articulation. Through their designs, participants communicate their lived realities and aspirations, contributing to a broader narrative about what is missing, not just in terms of physical structures but in terms of social equity, belonging, and identity.

Patricia Leavy (2018) underscores how ABR democratises knowledge production by giving voice to those traditionally marginalised in research and planning processes, again we can see here also a parallel with other theorists, particularly Freire. In this research, ABR will offer participants—especially those from underrepresented communities—a means of expressing their (urban) experiences creatively through their designs, participants communicate their lived realities and aspirations, contributing to a broader narrative about what is missing, not just in terms of physical structures but in terms of social equity, belonging, and identity.

By integrating the critical pedagogies of Freire, Greene, and hooks with Sullivan’s and Leavy’s frameworks of ABR, The Missing Building creates a participatory space where art becomes a tool for social change.

Critical Pedagogy and Grassroots Participation

Jacobs and Freire both underline the importance of dialogue and reflection in forming spaces and identities, bell hooks (1994) also added to this idea with "engaged pedagogy" (1994, p.13) a teaching method focused on critical reflection, emotional engagement, and shared participation. Similar to Freire’s dialogical approach (1970, p. 88), hooks (1994) highlights the importance of creating environments where learners are active participants instead of just passive recipients of knowledge. These statements draw clear parallels with the missing building, where participants reflect on architectural gaps in their city/community and express how these gaps relate to wider social and cultural dynamics and let participants challenge dominant narratives about their urban landscape and reclaim their agency.

Research Design (appendixes)

Triangulation Analysis and Mixed-Methods Data Collection

Online Surveys: Surveys sent out around the world will give us both detailed insights and numbers, helping us to see how local experiences of city spaces stack up against global views. These surveys give us a broader view of 'missing buildings,' allowing us to understand how different communities see and relate to their urban identity. When we link local stories to global experiences, we begin to see both the similarities and the differences. This tells us that urban identity is something we all have in common, but we understand it differently based on our culture and location. The surveys help us get a clearer picture of identity and space, revealing how global and local stories relate to each other and where they differ.