Revitalising Rural Communities Through Circular Placemaking

Lead  Prof. Peter HASDELL

School of Design

Prof. Peter Hasdell’s research through Insitu Project is a long-term interdisciplinary collaboration with academic collaborators, communities, and NGOs, advancing research-by-design across architecture, spatial planning and social enterprise. Melding social and spatial co-design practices, the House of Dreams project in Zhoushan, China, was developed in collaboration with Prof. Ku Hok Bun (Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU) and Zhoushan Community Group, together with institutional partners and residents to revitalize an abandoned cave settlement. In Iraq, the approach was adapted to co-create the Habibi Community Centre in Bersive refugee camp, the first permanent community building in the camp.

Across both sites, residents learned practical construction skills, reclaimed shared spaces and strengthened identity, belonging and resilience. Through 12 built projects in China and Iraq, the research has supported local communities to develop place-based, sustainable solutions rooted in circular material use, co-design and capacity building. It demonstrates the transferability of bottom-up placemaking as a model for enhancing social cohesion, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods in diverse cultural and geographic settings.

The project has also received nine international awards and recognitions for its innovative and socially impactful approach.