Award winning research
Work on temporary urban interventions with young people, led by Guido Robazza, Associate Professor in Urban Studies and Architecture, has earned the School of Architecture, Art and Design at the University of Portsmouth the “Best of University” award at the Inspire Future Generations Awards. Organised by the Thornton Education Trust — ex aequo with the Bartlett School of Architecture.
The award recognises a body of work — including the projects #IHeartPompey, The SoundGarden and ViaLibera! — developed collaboratively with colleagues at the University of Portsmouth, in particular Charles Leddy-Oven, Lexie Scherer, Matt Smith and Rokhshid Ghaziani.
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A sophisticated, rich programme of design education through civic engagement, which aims not only to support children’s learning through co-design and making, but also to better understand these processes. The particular strength of the programme therefore lies in the research intent that overlays the commitment to inclusive participatory environments for children
The project
The projects engaged three different communities, reaching approximately 160 children and young people, involving around 100 students from Architecture and creative disciplines, and working with a wide range of local organisations, institutions and governmental bodies as community partners.
These projects operate as live research environments, generating empirical insight into how children understand space, negotiate risk and collaborate when positioned as legitimate co-designers in urban decision-making processes. Together, they form part of a longer, iterative series of Temporary Urban Interventions exploring the social implications of the temporary use of public space and integrating interdisciplinary research, teaching and civic engagement.
This award recognises our commitment to research-led teaching and meaningful civic engagement. Guido Robazza’s work demonstrates how design research can generate real social impact while advancing disciplinary knowledge, positioning the University of Portsmouth as a leader in inclusive, participatory urban practice.
The programme directly addresses a persistent structural challenge in planning and design. When participation is treated as an educational or consultative add-on, it remains marginal. Children already engage daily with spatial rules, risk and negotiation; the critical issue is whether urban governance and design practices are willing to recognise that expertise. Designing with children is not a soft or symbolic exercise — it is a deliberate political and institutional choice about inclusivity, agency and the democratic production of urban space.
I am delighted — and genuinely honoured — to see that work developed over the past few years receive such a prestigious recognition. I am grateful to the children, who did the real work, and to the colleagues and students at Portsmouth who contributed throughout.
This has been a collaborative endeavour. The work sits at the intersection of design education, civic engagement and research, with the ambition to understand how children learn, decide and collaborate when they are trusted as co-designers.
This recognition matters because it affirms a simple yet radical principle that cities must embrace to become more inclusive: children are not passive recipients of the city but active contributors to its formation.