(re)CYCLE Limburg, A Co-design Approach for Transforming Public Spaces in Kerkrade West

Why we started in Kerkrade-West

In this publication, we look at public space as a practical starting point for renewal in Kerkrade-West. The area has been living with the effects of population decline for years. That is not just a matter of statistics. It is visible in vacant homes and shops, pressure on property values, fewer opportunities for work, and places where it has become harder for neighbours to meet. We wanted to understand whether small, affordable changes in public space could help people reconnect with their neighbourhood and with one another.

Our work grew from a year of applied research with residents, local partners and a multidisciplinary student team. We did not begin with a finished plan. We walked, observed, listened and mapped the social and spatial patterns of three neighbourhoods in Kerkrade-West. That gave us a much more useful starting point than regional data alone. It showed us where people already met, where everyday routes broke down, and where an overlooked space might become valuable again.

Designing with people, not for them

The proposals that followed were deliberately modest. We explored temporary, low-cost interventions that could be made with the people who would use them. A bench, a shared activity, a better place to pause, or a reason to gather can matter when it responds to an actual local need. We learned that the value is not only in the final object. It is also in the process of making decisions together, trying something out, discussing what works, and adjusting the next step.

That is why we see public-space renewal as more than a design assignment. It can create room for conversation, local initiative and new forms of care. Rather than assuming that a completed intervention will automatically generate participation, we looked for ways to give people a real role in shaping and using the place. The workshops also showed students that residents hold expertise that cannot be found in drawings or policy documents.

(re)CYCLE Limburg is our contribution to a wider discussion about cities and regions in transition. We do not present one universal solution for Kerkrade-West. Instead, we share a way of working: begin with everyday life, work at a scale that is realistic, and treat underused public space as shared potential. When design is collaborative, specific to the place and honest about available resources, it can support belonging, wellbeing and a stronger sense of community.