Co-Create Future Govan: Multicultural Regenerative Economy

Designed as a support service, this project introduces an online platform and toolkit empowering Govan’s multicultural community to co-create a regenerative economy.

About the project

My Master's Thesis Project is designed as a support service; this project introduces an online platform and toolkit empowering Govan’s multicultural community to co-create a regenerative economy. The platform provides multilingual resources, including a cooperative funding system, community asset mapping, and discussion tools for building inclusive, regenerative businesses. Workshops, Human Library sessions, and an idea bank support knowledge exchange, skill development, and inspiration. The project fosters grassroots collaborative action by connecting neighbours with shared goals, transforming the old shopfronts and green spaces into community ownership for wellbeing

Date:

Aug 19, 2025

Client:

Govan Community Trust (GCT)

Services:

Service Design

Project Details

The project addresses two key challenges in Govan: many local businesses and charities serve limited groups and struggle with funding, while others can’t compete with offerings outside Govan, risking closure and future gentrification. Besides, residents have strong views about Govan’s future but lack clear, accessible ways to participate, resulting in passive engagement. Inspired by this, and in partnership with Govan Community Trust, who plan to reclaim local shopfronts and green spaces for community use, I developed the design to foster a multicultural regenerative economy supporting sustainable business and empowering the community.

About our Creative Partner

Govan Community Trust (GCT) was established in 2024 to increase the circular economy and community autonomy in Govan, Glasgow.

Govan Community Trust (GCT) is seeking funding from the Scottish Land Fund to support the acquisition of vacant and derelict commercial units and green space within the G51 area. The goal is to bring these underutilised community assets into community ownership, enabling local people to shape their future through collective stewardship and regeneration.

Things I Did

I led the whole research and design process, which I focused on:

Design research
Co-design workshop design
Stakeholders engagement
Engagement events, co-design workshop curation and facilitation
Service Design
Toolkit Design
Online Support Platform UI/UX Design

Challenges

Because the participants came from multicultural backgrounds and had varying levels of English, the workshop needed to be easy to understand while also creating space for everyone to express their thoughts.
Some native English speakers tended to dominate the discussion, so it was important to ensure that quieter participants and those less confident in English also had their perspectives heard.

Tools and Approaches

Planet-Centric Design
Co-design
Ethnography
Stakeholder and Ecosystem Mapping
Achetype
Service Blueprint
Icebreg Model
Prototyping
To support participation, I used visual tools and simple English to make the content more accessible. Quiet reflection and doodle time were also included in the workshop, allowing participants who were less vocal in discussions to share their insights in alternative ways.