Sylwia Widzisz-Pronobis

Biography

Architect and urban planner, cultural animator, urban activist, researcher of tools for the inclusion of local communities, facilitator. She is the head of the consulting firm Prooper and a partner at the design firm Pronobis Studio.
Sylwia graduated in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Silesian University of Technology and the Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities. These two schools allowed her to learn how to design and consciously build relationships with users of the designed space. She gained knowledge about the city and social processes in order to consciously support residents and city managers in building local communities capable of independently creating space. She uses Smart City tools to co-create spaces and buildings with their users, building resilient and sustainable cities.
She is socially involved as member of the board of the Association City for Inhabitants of Bytom and the Free Association of Green Artists and member of the audit committee of the Association of Associations Congress of Urban Movements.
Sylwia draws on the energy of young designers by engaging in projects for young people and students of spatial studies where she is a tutor and mentor. Currently a PhD student at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology, researcher of participatory methods, the social investment model and inclusive processes in urban planning and architecture.
She designs public space and public buildings, conducts workshops and social consultations on spatial solutions, revitalisation activities and interpersonal communication. She has experience in implementing social projects in the framework of many non-governmental organisations. She believes in multidisciplinary work, in which everyone presents a different range of competencies and knowledge, and the effects of activities are often complex and spectacular. In her work, she uses the Design Thinking method, testing various tools and techniques to help city residents get involved in designing spatial solutions. She researches methods to involve city residents and space users in architectural and urban design. She cooperates with city halls as an expert on participation and socially engaged spatial planning. She seeks design solutions that focus on people and their needs while respecting the existing and natural environment.