Participatory Urban Planning in Nordic Cities: Report 1 - Design and Results of Workshop 1 and Workshop 2 with Municipalities NordicPATH: Nordic Participatory, Healthy, and People-Centered Cities

This working report represents the first phase of participatory urban planning led by Aalborg University, Department of Planning in the context of the research project NordicPATH - Nordic Participatory, Healthy, and People-centered Cities, funded by the NordForsk Programme on Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities (2020-2023). The project consortium is constituted by Aalborg University, Denmark; Gothenburg University, the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL), Sweden; and Mapita Oy, Finland, coordinated by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Norway. The report consists of the action research performed by the project team in the design of the collaborative workshop series to establish participatory and collaborative interdisciplinary work across scientific disciplines and transdisciplinary with and across Nordic countries and municipalities. This report also discusses the preliminary results that have shaped the NordicPATH project's foundation. The method is explored with the municipalities of Aalborg (DK), Goteborg (SE), Kristiansand (NO), and Lappeenranta (FI). The workshop series aims to share knowledge across disciplines involved in air quality research, citizen science, urban planning, and public participation with municipalities in Nordic cities. The NordicPATH project challenges current public participation in urban planning. The method is based on data collection strategies to address urban environmental issues such as air quality monitoring and interprets the data's relevance for urban planning strategies and actions. The report articulates in two main sections. The first section illustrates the overall strategy of the workshop series and the diverse stages. The second part describes the design and results of the first and second workshops. The workshop series addresses air quality and climate change issues through citizens' participation and collaborative planning. Nordic countries play a role model for developing citizens-oriented methods, progressing radical change to cope with risks while enhancing democracy in practice, and inspiring other countries worldwide to achieve healthy and people-centered cities.