Paweł Jaworski (PL)

A philosopher and urban planner who programs and implements urban experiments that combine design, research and participatory activities. He prepares transformations of public space by testing temporary solutions together with people who use city streets and squares, bringing prototyping to the implementation phase for the first time in Poland. He helps local governments manage social conflicts around changes in transportation systems. Previously, he developed a network connecting, under the banner of “Living Street,” people who seek to regain control of their neighborhoods by creating alternatives to traffic-oriented local policies. His team’s work has been recognized with awards or nominations in competitions of the Society of Polish Urban Planners – Best Developed Public Space in Poland 2023, the European Commission – Mobility Action Award 2022 and Mobility Week Award 2021, Innovations in Politics Institute – Innovations in Politics Award 2021.

City-laboratory

Referring to our experience in managing the “Rawa Laboratory” process and other prototyping activities we have implemented, we will talk about experimentation as a research tool to support urban design. We will outline the key role of change modeling, which allows us to discover and evaluate the many aspects of the proposed changes and their consequences before they are implemented in a (relatively) permanent form. We will compare digital and analog modeling, pointing out their peculiarities, possibilities and limitations. Above all, we will draw attention to the problem of planning socialization, which lends a political dimension to technical issues.