Kulturhavna (Culture Harbor) is an innovative urban development project in Ålesund, Norway, where a temporary urban space is shaped by the desires and needs of its residents. How can we fill an urban space with culture? And how can that culture influence its identity?

The Kulturhavna identity is built on a modular and dynamic design system, reflecting the participatory nature of the project. At its core is the letter "K," constructed using a three-part grid system. Each section of the grid is filled with hand-drawn icons representing different activities and resident contributions—just as people collectively shape the urban space itself.

The philosophy behind Kulturhavna’s brand is rooted in community participation. The aim was to create a visual identity that reflects the evolving desires of the people who use the area. Instead of imposing a fixed design, the brand is a living system that grows and changes based on user input. This ensures that both the visual identity—and the space itself—are authentic and inclusive, aligning with Kulturhavna’s goals of innovation and participation in urban development.

The challenge was to find a method to actively engage the community in this temporary transformation – a participatory platform that made it easy, accessible, and motivating for citizens to share their opinions on the activities and facilities they wish to see in Kulturhavna. Traditional participation processes, such as surveys and meetings, are often unengaging and fail to reach a broad audience. Therefore, we needed to develop a digital tool that could reach more people and invite genuine participation in a way that was both simple and inspiring.

The solution was to create a digital participation platform that puts residents in the driver's seat of Kulturhavna's design. The platform is user-friendly, engaging, and flexible, enabling it to adapt to the community's changing needs. Based on the principle of temporality, the platform provides a continuous flow of ideas and feedback that shapes the urban space in real-time.

Residents can submit their contributions via the platform, with each submission visually linked to a specific icon representing their desired activity. Each entry combines three suggestions to create a unique, personalized logo shaped as a "K," based on the composition of the three selected icons.

This approach fosters a personal connection to both the space and its identity, as every resident receives their own logo tied to their contribution. The logo represents "your Kulturhavna" and can also be applied to various types of merchandise, further strengthening the connection to the project.

Kulturhavna’s digital platform creates impact by providing concrete data and insights. Residents' proposals are gathered on a clear and accessible info page, displaying key metrics such as the most popular suggestions, a top-five list of activities, realized projects, and an option for users to share their own ideas. This overview gives both residents and decision-makers a clear picture of the community’s needs and priorities.

This solution helps shape a vibrant and adaptable urban space, directly influenced by its users. The platform facilitates a new approach to urban development, fostering genuine dialogue between residents and decision-makers.