Co-creating Urban Futures: Citizen Participation in Local Governance

In the framework of the Blended Intensive Programmes of the CIVIS Alliance, LoUIsE has organised the Workshop "Co-creating Urban Futures: Citizen Participation in Local Governance" in partnership with the University of Bucharest, Sapienza University of Rome, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and University of Glasgow.

Between the 23rd and 27th of November, participants developed critical, comparative and interdisciplinary knowledge on co-creation in local governance and explored its potential to address urban challenges. The workshop took the co-creation of stormwater management in the Brussels-Capital Region as a case study in relation to the experimental development project Brussel Sensible a l'eau (Brusseau Bis) (2021-2023, Innoviris). The international and interdisciplinary experience of the staff and students (architecture, political science, geography and urban studies) allowed for the development of comparative perspectives at several levels. It showed that 'co-creation' is an important means to open up horizontal and multi-directional dialogues and decision-making processes between government and civil society. However, it requires experimentation and institutional changes, which are challenging for local governments due to their rigid structures and lack of resources. The workshop also highlighted the need to critically engage with the concepts and practices of 'co-creation' at the local level in order to identify challenges and opportunities for moving forward.