Parliaments are both spaces and places. As spaces, they are collections of rooms, halls, offices and grounds that are used for particular purposes. As places, they mean something to the people they represent – but they don’t mean the same thing, or as much, to everyone, and increasingly people hold negative feelings towards parliaments.

This Guide explores the idea of parliaments as spaces and places and provides guidance for staff and Members of Parliament on using spaces to develop citizens’ understanding and positive associations towards their parliament as a place. We use a wide range of examples from parliaments across the world to demonstrate how this can be done.

This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the Inter Pares I Parliaments in Partnership project, implemented by International IDEA. Its contents are the sole responsibility of International IDEA and the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Explore the full suite of Citizen Engagement Guides for actionable tips and inspiration to strengthen your parliament's engagement with the public on the Inter Pares page. Click for more information.

Details

Publication date
08 August 2025
Language(s)
English
Number of pages
32
Co-Publisher(s)
WYDE, Inter Pares, International Parliament Engagement Network, University of Leeds
ISBN
978-91-7671-982-4 (PDF)

Contents

Executive summary

Introduction

1. Benefits

2. Challenges

3. Approaches

4. Practice

5. Evaluation

6. Checklist

7. Materials

Give us feedback

Do you have a question or feedback about this publication? Leave us your feedback, and we’ll get back to you

Send feedback

Parliament as a Space and Place

Guides on Citizen Engagement for Parliaments
Download Download PDF
File size : 7.41 MB
Total views 18
Downloads 0
Rating
Close tooltip