Digitally Supported Co-creation within Public Open Space Development Process: Experiences from the C3Places Project and Potential for Future Urban Practice

Figures & data

Figure 1. Co-creation stages, activities, tasks of actors and likely results within the POS development process (adapted after Goličnik Marušić and Šuklje Erjavec (in press) and Šuklje Erjavec and Ruchinskaya (2019))

Figure 2. Roles of actors in the co-creation within the POS development process (adapted after Goličnik Marušić and Šuklje Erjavec (in press))

Figure 3. Degree of interaction in the engagement process and applied to the co-creation process

Figure 4. Form of interaction: The most common methods and possible ICT tool types to facilitate co-creation among actors and between actors and the POS

Table 1. The living labs

The Ghent Public Space Living Lab
Objectives	Demonstrate the effects of digital technologies for making POS more attractive; Demonstrate interactive co-creation through digital technology; Demonstrate assessment methods based on new technology.
Knowledge sought	Masking potential of the augmented natural soundscapes; Possibilities of using ICT to improve sonic environment in noise polluted green areas; Common factors in the co-created soundscapes that allow to explore preferences of certain user groups; Intensity of use of the platform; Quality of the users’ experience of the soundscape generation system.
Actors involved	On-site visitors (no socio-demographic restrictions).
Data collection methods*	Long-term continuous SPL measurements of the existing environmental sound as a research reference, using internet-based meter (D); Sound mixing via a mobile application (D); Survey (D); Observation by the researcher (T).
Lisbon Alvalade Living Lab
Objectives	To analyse the sociability and spatial practices of students and their connection with ICT devices; To shed light on teenagers’ appropriation of POS; To evaluate spatial resources, values and opportunities, linking the local knowledge with existing practices; To develop, test and gain experiences on digital research tools and methods, esp. innovative co-creation ones, tailored to the context of teenagers; To provide recommendations in designing strategies and policies to develop teenagers’-oriented POS in Alvalade.
Knowledge sought	Identifying features and user-friendliness of the POS in Alvalade; Elucidating teenagers’ practices and behaviours in POS; Testing the potential of digital co-creation with teenagers through thematic workshops; Gaining local knowledge.
Actors involved	School pupils (teenagers between 13 and 17 years old) involved in co-creation workshops; On-site visitors (teenagers).
Data collection methods*	Mapping of public spaces (T); Field observations (T); Literature review (D + T); Exploratory informal interviews with teenagers (T); Semi-structured interviews with two civil engineers, one landscape architect and one architect from the Parish Council (T); Five co-creative workshops to formulate and justify design solutions for the POS in front of the school. They included a site visit, questionnaire, and group work with the use of digital tools such as Padlet, image bank, PowerPoint and Google Maps (D + T).
The Vilnius Aukštamiestis Living Lab
Objectives	To explore how digitally enabled is functioning of Loftas, with a special focus on seniors’ social group; To complete document analysis and social media observation for description of case conditions, context and create qualitative and quantitative research instruments; To explore characteristics of cyber open spaces from social, technological, and urban design perspectives by interviewing stakeholders; To generalize the scientific results on behaviour of seniors as a user group in focus.
Knowledge sought	Digital sources of knowledge about community, activities, events.
Actors involved	Residents and their communities; Owners of business and cultural spots; Municipality and related governmental units.
Data collection methods*	Document analysis and social media observation of selected websites, social media (Facebook and Youtube) and blogs (D + T): Five stakeholder semi-structured interviews (T); Questionnaire survey of senior citizens who participated in Loftas events (T).
The Milan Living Lab
Objectives	Demonstrate the effect of digital technologies for making public space inclusive, interactive and co-created; Improve the liveability of the area, namely the quality of life inside the University; Develop assessment methods based on new technology and data analysis.
Knowledge sought	Possibility to involve people by means of a web app, sharing information related to POI located in POS.
Actors involved	Students; Teachers; Other workers of the University; Citizens of Milan freely accessing the area.
Data collection methods*	QR codes + the web app featuring shared bulletin board for posting requests or offers (rooms, roommates, books, joint study, etc.), pictures sharing, public and private chat; publication of local events with the possibility to join, information about the POI (D).
*D = digital, T = traditional

Figure 5. The examined living labs in relation to the stages of a co-creation process

Goličnik Marušić, B., & Šuklje Erjavec, I. (in press) Understanding co-creation within urban open space development process, in: C. Smaniotto Costa, M. Mačiulienė, M. Menezes, & B. Goličnik Marušić. (Eds) Co-Creation of Public Open Places. Practice—Reflection—Learning.C3Places Project Lisbon: Lusófona University Press. ISBN 978-989-757-125-1.

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Šuklje Erjavec, I., & Ruchinskaya, T. (2019) A spotlight of co-creation and inclusiveness of public open spaces, in: C. Smaniotto Costa, I. Šuklje Erjavec, T. Kenna, M. de Lange, K. Ioannidis, G. Maksymiuk, & M. de Waal (Eds) CyberParks–The Interface between People, Places and Technology, pp. pp. 209–223 (Cham, Switzerland: Springer).

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