Affective Communication Workshop with 100+ TU Delft Students
How can we holistically engage diverse community perspectives in urban and regional planning?
In many parts of Europe, marginalised groups often feel excluded, unheard, or distrusted in decision-making processes. Their knowledge and concerns are not always appropriately listened to or addressed in urban and regional development.
But times are changing! Whether through small shifts or larger transitions, we are being challenged to think and act differently. One approach that can support more inclusive engagement is affective communication—a method that acknowledges emotions, values, and beliefs in how we understand, communicate, and interact.
In early March, our project officer Rebecca Baugh co-facilitated a workshop alongside Verena Balz, DUST project coordinator, for first-year Urbanism Master’s students. The workshop explored affective communication and research, supporting students to understand and integrate diverse community perspectives into their regional visions and development strategies.
Affective communication, as defined in the DUST project, includes five key components:
1. Understanding context & target community(ies) – How do our perceptions of different communities support or hinder our ability to interpret and understand their perspective?
2. Cultural research & communicative toolbox – What (non-obvious) resources can we use to deepen our understanding?
3. Reflecting relevance & benefit to the target community – How is what we are communicating relevant and beneficial for our target community?
4. Communication accessibility – What dimensions of accessibility are relevant for communicating with my target audience (language, physical, format, etc)?
5. Feedback & revision of communication
We look forward to continuing these conversations, building on our workshops, and applying theory to practice in the future.