‘The making of Hoepertingen’: Debating change in a village in Haspengouw (Belgium)

• Published in: Journal of rural studies Vol. 87; pp. 455 - 464
• Main Authors: Martens, Sarah, Van Damme, Sylvie, Devisch, Oswald
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elmsford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Action research; Participatory design; Prototyping; Public space; Public spaces; Research methodology; Transformation; Villages; Walking; Participatory design; Public space; Action research
• ISSN: 0743-0167; 1873-1392
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.09.003

Villages are changing as a consequence of global processes of transformation, as well as a summation of small-scale and individual decisions. Village communities are challenged by the way identities change, and search for ways to reflect and exchange ideas on what has disappeared, what aspects of life remain and will be possible. Our aim was to support individual villagers in order to better understand what is changing and to collectively define a future image. The methodology of action research brings in a future-forming orientation: to discuss what might become and to reflect on what is already there. Combined with aspects of participatory design, we set up different actions in Hoepertingen, a village in Haspengouw. Through walking with villagers, generating scenarios, envisioning, enacting, prototyping and more, we assembled and compared different meaning constructs, experimented with possible solutions and developed dialogues about these scenarios. In this paper, we will discuss the ways in which these participatory actions supported us to envision how public places in villages change and generate reflection, and debate about how inhabitants can contribute to this change. •Enhancing (spatial) agency is a shared challenge for different professionals.•Large, open unbuilt spaces and small roads are potentially valuable public spaces in villages.•Villagers prioritize ownership, rather than accessible design for all.