UCL’s prof Pablo Sendra has published an article on how the tricky term co-design should properly be defined and used. He writes “There is a lack of definition in policy of the term co-design, and yet local authorities and developers are increasingly using it. To avoid this term becoming meaningless, it is essential to define how to run co-design processes ethically. Building on case studies, professional experience, collaborations with communities in Just Space and elsewhere, and a Participatory Action Research approach, this paper defines a set of principles on how to run a co-design process ethically and genuinely including communities in decision-making. Departing from the legal Principles for Fair Consultation in England and Wales, the paper expands them and results into ten ethical principles for co-design.
The article is free to read at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13574809.2023.2171856 and has been short-listed for the RTPI Research Awards for the “The Sir Peter Hall Award for Excellence in Research and Engagement”.
The ten principles are summarised as follows:
checked M.E. 27 July 2025
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