Context
The historic Great Square in Hradec has been used mainly as a car parking lot for years. The possibility of revitalising it has been the subject of public debate for more than a decade, but no concrete results have yet been achieved. An architectural competition was held in 2010, but the planning process was halted due to allegations of bias and the whole process stalled. In the end, the new city administration decided to rework the project documents based on an update of the original concept, with the aim of returning the square to the citizens and revitalising it as a city centre. So the participatory process was meant to help obtain suggestions from the citizens of Hradec Králové for updating the concept of the architectural study for the revitalization of Velký náměstí (Great Square).
How we proceeded
The participation process took the form of offline and online workshops and an online questionnaire survey. Each focus group required a specific approach and methods of engagement in order to obtain the most relevant and comprehensive perspectives on the revitalisation of the square. The participatory meetings were structured to focus on key issues for discussion in four main areas: transport, greenery, climate and use of public space.
Results of participation
Members of all the target groups involved had the opportunity to express their views and opinions on the value of the square, identifying the positives, negatives and potential of the current situation. These inputs were then used for updating the architectural study.
