Sanctuary Spaces explores how Scotland’s urban communities can use community land ownership to protect green spaces and reimagine disused sites such as former bowling clubs as inclusive, community-owned assets.
Guided by design justice and a decolonial lens, I used ethnography, public engagement, and participatory workshops to centre Global Majority voices and the lived experiences of people affected by urban land struggles. By spending time in spaces like Bowling Green Together and working with local residents in Mount Florida, I was able to ground the research in real relationships and everyday experiences.
The project resulted in a service design proposal that focuses on using the Community Right to Buy Part 2 (registering community interest in land), and offers a partnership between organisations that support communities to own land and integration networks in Glasgow.
The logbook is an interactive workbook that translates the complex process of community land ownership into plain language, with prompts and activities that help groups reflect, generate ideas, and track their progress together.
