PhD Research: realising better public space outcomes
Jenny Elliott’s PhD research at the University of Edinburgh explores the design, planning and decision-making processes and experiences of built environment professionals that ultimately lead to the reality of public realm places we see when we look out our windows or move around the city.
In particular, it aims to understand what barriers there are to implementing ‘best practice’ greener, healthier public spaces that maximise social and environmental outcomes ‘on the ground’ and how these challenges might be addressed. The research aims to provide valuable insights and robust findings to share back with the industry and policymakers that could ultimately lead to improved place outcomes for urban public spaces. Jenny Elliott’s PhD research at the University of Edinburgh is funded by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities, in collaboration with industry partner Connected Places Catapult.
Final research findings, including insights from 62 anonymous built environment practitioners into the challenges they face in their work trying to deliver greener, healthier public spaces (and what they’d like to see change), and 3 UK-wide workshops, will be available in early 2025.
Previous Urban Research: Built Environment UX, Public Life Studies, Data-and-Design Approaches
Jenny Elliott has led or supported urban research activities on various urban design projects, with a particular focus on creative placemaking installations, high streets and UX of public spaces. For example, leading and training a team to use direct observation methods and interviews with passers-by based on a development of Jan Gehl’s methodology for analysing the ‘public life’ present in public space, to assess the current street condition and user experience to make design recommendations for 9 Public Life Studies for client City of Edinburgh Council.
Jenny has also worked with interdisciplinary teams including data scientists via the Edinburgh Living Lab to conduct user research of key Council buildings, public spaces and services via project ‘Service Design and Our Assets: Data and Design for Property Planning’. This project wove design insights, data-driven findings and user engagement via a robust data-and-design evidence-based approach drawing on service design approaches.
Previous other research work includes research, write-up and graphic design of a suite of ‘Green Active Travel Case Studies’ for client CSGNT, developing a novel ‘collaborative evaluation’ approach to a co-design and prototyping project ‘Future of the High Street’ in my role as Project Lead that extended the collaborative and participatory project ethos to its reporting at all project stages, and supporting initial monitoring and evaluation of urban food growing project 3000 Acres in Melbourne.
A collection of blogs by Jenny Elliott providing insight into the PhD process and research findings as they emerge. This includes summaries of key PhD research findings from surveys and interviews with practitioners about the barriers to realising better public spaces in practice and what would help. As well as blogs written in my former role as Project Lead for the Future of the High Street - a project I proposed, designed and led a team to deliver on behalf of the Edinburgh Futures Institute, and which also forms a PhD case study.
I reflected on the Future of the High Street project as a PhD case study via ethnographic observation. This method was possible given my active and involved role both designing and pitching the project proposal (subsequently awarded funding via the Scottish Funding Council as part of the University of Edinburgh’s ‘Data and Design Lab’) and involvement in project management and delivery, alongside the wider project team.
