La Maraña calls for ideas for Participatory Design Laboratory 2024
Nonprofit organization La Maraña is inviting organizations and community groups to apply for the Participatory Design Laboratory before the deadline on April 1.
The initiative seeks to partner with Puerto Rican communities in co-designing and implementing projects needed for development, sustainability and resilience. La Maraña advocates for participatory design, which fosters equal collaboration between users and designers.
Throughout the year, La Maraña will guide the chosen communities through the co-design process of a specific space and provide funding for the project’s execution.
Eligible participants include groups with designated leaders, community organizations or groups aiming to carry out a community development project, with a requirement that the project’s location must be pre-identified. Two to three recipients will be selected to receive up to $60,000 for project implementation, allocated based on each project’s specific requirements.
“This is the third consecutive year that we’ve opened a call for the Participatory Design Laboratory and we’re extremely excited about the process,” said Cynthia Burgos-López, executive director of La Maraña.
“In our decade of work in La Maraña, we’ve encountered multiple community-based organizations that lead sustainable development projects for Puerto Rico, and we want to continue supporting them. The achievements and contribution of the projects with which we have collaborated in past years confirm the value of the work we do collectively,” she added.
La Maraña uses various tools and dialogues to develop prototypes, designs and creative solutions tackling the challenges communities confront, such as displacement and climate change.
Project focuses include revitalizing common areas, public spaces, and addressing neglect and disuse.
The grants from the Participatory Design Laboratory include resources analysis, participatory research, collaborative methods, community engagement, support in co-design through various formats, work plan development, assistance in securing additional funding, landscape design prioritizing nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, participatory budgets for execution, stipends for leaders, access to a network of collaborators, assistance in crafting a narrative that reflects community heritage and identity.
