This project will deliver a new transformative street infrastructure for Union Street, Dundee through a community co-design process led by professional designers in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.
The project’s overall aim is to create a safer, more attractive, healthier, and inclusive place which is enjoyed equitably by the people who live on, work in and visit the street.
The project will also increase and diversify the number of trips to and through the street made by walking, wheeling or cycling for everyday journeys.
These aims were delivered through an embedded community co-design process which has engaged with the residents who live on the street and surrounding area and the businesses for whom Union Street provides their livelihood. Ideas have been developed collaboratively and in partnership with the community of Union Street.
What’s happening in the street at the moment?
At the moment vehicles can only enter Union Street before 11am and after 11pm. They can also only enter from the south end of the street. There is no access for deliveries and no parking on the street. If you need to arrange access for a shop refit, or work to be carried out at your property, you can apply for a permit via the Dundee City Council website.
What stage is the design at?
The final design proposals have been shared with the people who live and work in Union Street and who have been involved in this project so far. We presented the final design in the form of a series of drawings, diagrams and a 3D model to help people understand the proposals. A tactile model of the street was also made as a way to communicate the design to those with visual impairments. These processes allowed us to collect feedback ensuring that the voices of the community co-designers were accurately captured in the final design. The final design has been proposed to Dundee City Council and Sustrans.
What’s going to happen next?
While funding is being secured, UNESCO City of Design Dundee will continue to be involved in the project so that the co-design process is centred in any future decisions. This will ensure that Union Street is a special place for the people who live, work and visit for many years to come.
Phase 1-2
Community co-design activities began in 2022 at an empty shop on Union Street which became ‘Our Street Studio’. This community co-design studio was designed and created by designers Gary Kennedy and Linsey McIntosh who delivered the co-design activities where people could share their concerns, imagine big ideas and ensure that their voice was part of the process. Project participants had the opportunity to vote on their most important themes outlined in concept drawings developed from the many ideas generated.
Phase 3-4
5 key themes emerged from Phase 1-2’s co-design activities which designers Gary and Linsey used to develop further co-design prompts both within the shop and on the street in the form of Street Stoppers. A final design was developed culminating months of co-designed ideas from the people who live, work and visit the street. Project participants were invited to see this design in the form of drawings and 3D models, before the design was proposed to Dundee City Council and Sustrans.
PHASE 1 – 2
In spring 2022, a design team which consisted of UNESCO City of Design Dundee and designers Gary Kennedy and Linsey McIntosh moved into an empty shop on Union Street. This space became ‘Our Street Studio’, a community co-design studio where people could share their concerns, imagine big ideas and ensure that their voice was part of the process.
There was four design activities at Our Street Studio:
Our Street… Cart
The cart travelled up and down Union Street, visiting all the various businesses, while capturing the attention of local residents and visitors. ‘Building Blocks’, which are playful wooden cubes displaying laser cut icons symbolising different aspects of the street (from green space, to living, to sustainable transport), were gifted to people as mementos of the project, and an invitation to engage through dropping into the ‘Our Street…’ studio.
Think Tanks
This element provided an opportunity for business owners, local residents and visitors to join the ‘Our Street…’ co-design team through sharing a Polaroid snap of themselves and displaying it on the wall. Co-designers were asked to dream big and share their initial aspirations for Union Street on a bubble. The gallery of faces symbolised the community-led nature of the project, and the vision sharing broke the ice for creative conversations to begin.
Community Collage
This activity invited people to consider what could shape the design of Union Street. A mood board of cards displaying inspirational imagery of urban design interventions from around the globe was on display, and co-designers could select designs that appealed to them, while noting the rationale behind their decision. Design ideas could also be captured via writing, doodling or taking a Polaroid photo and describing. The ideas and inspirations were then clustered on the wall, showcasing emerging themes.
Streetscape
This 1:50 elevational scale model of the street welcomed co-designers to share information to help improve Union Street – from challenges, opportunities, knowledge and stories, to any initial design ideas. These insights were shared through writing or doodling on the relevant coloured Streetscape shape cards which were then pitched into the model base, highlighting clusters of information at various relevant locations within the landscape of the street.
Designers, Gary and Linsey recorded and analysed each co-designed idea transforming these into their first proposed concept design. By analysing the wealth of information from the co-design stages and then drawing, sketching and mapping out the priorities, a series of patterns, concepts and ideas began to emerge.
Project participants, partners and people who lived, worked and visited the street were all invited back to Our Street Studio to view the concept drawings, share their views and vote on their most important elements proposed for the street’s redevelopment. From these votes, 5 key themes emerged which Gary and Linsey went on to develop in Phase 3-4.
Photos by David P. Scott
Find out more about Phase 1-2 by watching this video by David P. Scott:
Phase 3 – 4
The 5 key themes which emerged from Phase 1 – 2’s co-design activities were:
A gateway as a welcome at the top and bottom of the street
A frame which can hide bins, act as lighting and display artwork
A canopy which stretches between the buildings
A venue where performances could take place
Landscaping to add green space and a variety of surfaces
Throughout Phase 3 – 4 the shop, renamed Dundee Design House, was open across a number of dates where the design team continued to deliver a series of co-design activities. The team called these co-design activities ‘Deedles’ – a Dundee doodle, which were designed for participants to visually share their ideas and express what was most important to them when thinking about the future of the street.
To create their Deedles, people could choose from a variety of photos taken across Dundee for inspiration and collage these together on big boards. By displaying these on the studio walls, all the participants could see each other’s ideas and develop them together.
In addition to co-design activities within the shop, the design team created outdoor physical structures called Street Stoppers. These were installed on the street and were used as conversation starters. They were temporary street trials to grab the attention of passers-by and supported the co-design activity. Each Street Stopper was created around the key themes to come out of Phase 1 -2.
All of the ideas created within the shop and at the Street Stoppers throughout Phase 3-4 were recorded. The team spent time reflecting upon the concepts created to ensure that each important theme were included and represented in the final design. Just like the the first concept designs, all project participants were welcomed to a preview of the final design in the form of drawings and 3D models to share their views and speak to the designers before the design was proposed to Dundee City Council and Sustrans.
Photography by Grant Anderson
Find out more about Phase 3 – 4 by watching this video by 81 films:
FAQs
Who is involved in the Union Street Project?
UNESCO City of Design Dundee
Dundee City Council
Kennedy Twaddle
Linsey McIntosh
What is Places for Everyone?
The aim of Places for Everyone is to create safer, more attractive, healthier, and inclusive places which are enjoyed equitably by increasing and diversifying the number of trips made by walking, wheeling or cycling for everyday journeys.
The scheme is funded by the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland and is administered by Sustrans.
Places for Everyone contributes to the Scottish Government’s aim for a healthier, environmentally sustainable nation with a strong economy and communities, as laid out in the National Performance Framework.
