Programme of habitat wishes - a tool for communication

How to develop an attractive built environment with the desired housing and well kept outdoor conditions? As long as experts do not ask lay-people for their needs and wants, we must not be surprised that people are not interested in their environment and show a lack of care. The contribution of (future) inhabitants in the planning process can have a material and a social impact on building, improving and maintaining a neighbourhood. One of the problems that have to be solved is the question how to improve the communication between non-professionals and professionals, between inhabitants and designers (architects). Inhabitants express themselves in a simple language about the number of rooms, cupboards, size of the garden and parking place. Architects communicate in drawings of designs and talk in a technical language about functions, forms, spacial structures, light and expression. It can be helpful - is the fundamental idea in Wageningen - to develop a shared language, to start talking about activities and to use scale models in a structured process. The participation process is a sort of exploratory expedition. Good communication is a must for a successful participation process. A clear expression of the'programme of habitat wishes'is the first step in the dialogue between inhabitants and architect. The Structural Space Planning Method is a structured process to develop a'programme of habitat wishes'for the built environment. It can be related to all sorts of objects: houses, co-housing projects, institutions, playgrounds, streets or neighbourhoods. Full scale and scale models are part of the Structural Space Planning Method, as described by Van Dam (these proceedings). This contribution describes some practical experiences with the development of the'programme of habitat wishes'and the effects on the participation process