CommonGround: A Participatory Spatial Co-Design Workshop

CommonGround is a participatory spatial co-design workshop designed to support people with diverse knowledge backgrounds in exploring and prioritising Nature-Based Solution (NbS) scenarios. It brings together local knowledge with geographic, environmental and socio-economic information to help participants discuss how a place could change.

The workshop can be run with printed maps and tangible materials or with the open-source LandscapeLab platform. In its digital set-up, an interactive planning table, a game-based feedback system and GIS-based 3D visualisation help participants compare spatial options, potential effects and trade-offs.

CommonGround supports transdisciplinary dialogue, reflection and peer-to-peer learning across local planning, educational and community settings. It offers detailed guidance for facilitators, including challenge framing, data preparation, workshop flow, required materials and adaptable formats. The resource aims to make spatial NbS planning more accessible, engaging and relevant across disciplines and knowledge systems.

Main target audiences: Local Authorities, Community Stakeholders, Researchers, Educators and Students, Spatial and Environmental Planners

Copyright: © 2026 by eNaBlS Consortium

License: Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International

Disclaimer:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Birthe Uhlhorn, Karl Bittner and Beatrix Schiesser
BOKU University, Vienna, Austria