Research Project “Mapping Matters”

The Social Innovation lectorate has received a SIA Co-Creatie en Cultuurbeoefening grant for Mapping Matters, a new research project exploring how participatory mapping can enable residents to make matters of concern in their neighbourhoods visible and discuss them with the municipality.

The two-year project started in June 2026 and focuses on two neighbourhoods in Eindhoven. Residents will be invited to translate their experiences, concerns and ideas into geospatial visualisations and maps. These “citizen maps” will serve as tools for dialogue between residents, designers and policymakers.

Mapping Matters is developed and carried out in close collaboration with Waag Society and the Municipality of Eindhoven. The three partners combine complementary expertise in design research and participatory cartography, citizen science and open-source technology, and municipal policy and citizen participation. Together, they explore new and more equitable ways of connecting residents’ lived experiences with institutional knowledge and decision-making.

For the project, Philemonne Jaasma and Milan Liefhebber from Cocosmos have joined the Social Innovation Lab as Research Associates, bringing expertise in participatory and socio-spatial research.