Global Urban Agendas

Course content: Cities have a significant role to play in advancing sustainability, democracy and citizenship. As centres of social life, economy and resource use, cities are also key sites for dealing with global challenges like climate change. To achieve urban sustainability goals, International Urban Agendas, such as the New Urban Agenda (2016-2036) and the urban dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030), have underlined the relevance of citizens’ engagement in urban planning production through co-creation/co-production activities/projects. Citizen “co-creation” and “co-production” are important means of opening-up multi-directional, horizontal dialogues and decision-making processes between government and civil society. But they necessitate experimentation and institutional change, which can be difficult for local governments because of rigid structures and a lack of resources.

The course aims to develop comparative and interdisciplinary knowledge of co-creation and co-production in urban planning projects and examines its potential to address urban challenges. The course proposes an exploration of the underlying principles as well as core issues on which theoretical and empirical questions of co-creation and co-production are built upon, in relation to international agendas and participatory urban planning cultures. A particular attention will be paid to the participation of stakeholders in ongoing urban development projects in Brussels and in other urban contexts in Europe and beyond. During the semester, these dimensions are related to both its normative (Global Urban Agendas) and scientific appreciations by respectively the international and academic community, and their concretisation on the ground.

This course is part of the CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme “Co-creating urban futures – Citizens participation in local governance” developed by Université libre de Bruxelles-Architecture, University of Glasgow-Urban Studies, University of Tübingen-Political Science, University of Bucharest-Geography and Sapienza University of Rome-Planning/Urbanism (https://civis.eu/en/civis-courses/co-creating-urban-futures-citizen-participation-in-local-governance-1). The international and interdisciplinary background of staff and students involved (Political Science, Geography, Architecture, Planning and Urban Studies) will help develop multi-faceted, comparative insights on challenges of co-creation and co-production.

• Reflect critically on normative and practical approaches of co-creation/co-production in urban futures as well as on the extent to which citizens can genuinely influence government in collaborative planning projects and formulate their own position on it – in verbal presentations and debates.
• Understand local planning and governance challenges of urban development projects to include public participation processes.
• Be able to present qualitative research under the format of posters including scientific description of the research process and visual representation of research results.
• Learn how to develop a qualitative research around citizens’ engagement in urban planning production.
• Experiment with existing tools and techniques for organizing participatory problem solving and engage with government and the public through collaborative learning experiences.

Teaching methods and learning formats: The course is composed of a combination of lectures, exercises, fieldwork and discussions. The first three classes aim at familiarising students with the Global Urban Agendas and urban sustainability, the concepts of co-creation and co-production, the challenges linked with citizens’ participation in collaborative urban projects, as well as normative and critical perspectives of collaborative planning culture. After these first three sessions, students are required to conduct qualitative research during a 5-day workshop within an ongoing urban collaborative project in an European city - to be selected in the Brussels-Capital Region or in the municipality of Rome (Italy) - through direct observation, interviews with local actors, involvement in focus groups, and review of existing documentation. A presentation of the results will be organised at the end of the workshop. The objective of the workshop is both the comprehension of theoretical approaches for co-creation/co-production, and their transfer into more practical exercises, applications, and discussions with local actors (citizen associations, municipalities and regional institutions. The workshop will be organised with the participation of the staff and students from all universities of the CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme.
Throughout the course, students will have to engage with core readings for the workshop and for the preparation of the final assignment.
The learning programme is complemented with 5 recommended, but optional, online roundtable discussions organised within the framework of the CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme. Participation in the interdisciplinary roundtable is not mandatory but highly recommended in order to deepen knowledge on different perspectives on global urban challenges, concepts of co-creation/co-production and the interrelatedness of power, planning and policy making.

Activities: The course will include ex-cathedra lectures as well as more active pedagogy techniques during the workshop, such as group discussions, exercise exchanges, case studies qualitative fieldworks, etc.

Empirical research on co-creation/co-production in an ongoing urban collaborative project: The empirical research will be carried out in the frame of the joint workshop (part of the CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme). The main objective of the research will be to understand and identify the challenges of planning and management of co-creation practices that are focused on urban regeneration, self-organisation of public policies and enhancement of the environmental qualities of urban areas (water, biodiversity and urban agriculture). Based on several case studies of co-creation practices in the Brussels-Capital Region or in the municipality or Rome (Italy) (city case not yet selected), students will be invited to explore the processes through which they are realized and possible future challenges. Students will be guided to graphically visualize the relationships between the actors involved in the process and to imagine the future development of a co-creation practice in time.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

• Arnstein SR (1969). A Ladder Of Citizen Participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners 35(4), 216-224. DOI: 10.1080/01944366908977225

• Brandsen T, Honingh M (2018). Definitions of co-production and co-creation. In: Brandsen T, Steen T, Verschure B, editors. Co-production and co-creation: engaging citizens in public services. New York (NY): Routledge; pp. 33–44.

• Davoudi S, Strange I (2009). Space and place in the twentieth century planning: an Analytical Framework and an historical review. In: Davoudi S, Strange I (eds.), Conceptions of Space and Place in Strategic Spatial Planning. London: Routledge, pp. 7-42.

• Fisher F (2012). Participatory governance: from theory to practice. In: Lévi-Faur D (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Governance. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199560530.013.0032

• Friedmann J (2005). Globalization and the emerging culture of planning. Progress in Planning 64, 183-234.

• Hajnal Z (2013). The Context of Local Policymaking: Who or What governs? In: Haider-Markel DP (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199579679.013.021

• Hayward C, Lukes S (2008). Nobody to shoot? Power, structure, and agency: A dialogue. Journal of Power 1.1, S.5-20.

• Harris N (2002). Collaborative Planning. From Theoretical Foundations to Practice Forms. In: P Allmendinger P, Tewdwr-Jones M (eds.), Planning Futures. New Directions for Planning Theory. London: Routledge, pp. 21-43.

• Healey P (1997). Collaborative Planning: Shaping Places in Fragmented Societies. London: Macmillan.

• Hilmer JD (2010). The State of Participatory Democratic Theory. New Political Science 32(1), 43-63. DOI: 10.1080/07393140903492118

• Jessop B (2011). The State: Government and Governance’. In: Pike A, Rodríguez-Pose, A, Tomaney J (eds.), Handbook of Local and Regional Development. London: Routledge, pp. 239-248

• Knill C, Tosun J (2020). Public Policy. A new introduction. 2nd Ed. London: Macmlilan Education Ltd., pp.1-32.

• Knill C, Tosun J (2020). Public Policy. A new introduction. 2nd Ed. London: Macmlilan Education Ltd., pp.33-56.

• Michels A, De Graaf L (2010). Examining citizen participation: local participatory policy making and democracy. Local Government Studies 36(4), 477-491. DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2010.494101

• Michels A, De Graaf L (2017). Examining citizen participation: local participatory policy making and democracy revisited. Local Government Studies 43(6), 875-881. DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2017.1365712

• Ranzato M, Moretto L (2018). Co-Production and the Environment. In: Brandsen T, Steen T, Verschure B (eds.), Co-production and co-creation: engaging citizens in public services. New York (NY): Routledge, pp. 180-190.

• Sanders EBN, Stappers PJ (2008). Co-creation and the new landscapes of design. Co-design 4(1), 5-18.

• Sanders EBN, Stappers PJ (2014). Probes, toolkits and prototypes: three approaches to making in codesigning. CoDesign, 10(1), 5-14.

• Segnestam Larsson O, Brandsen T (2018). The Implicit Normative Assumptions of Social Innovation Research: Embracing the Dark Side. In: Brandsen T, Steen T, Verschure B (eds.), Co-production and co-creation: engaging citizens in public services. New York (NY): Routledge, pp. 292–302.

• Schmidt-Thomé K, Mäntysalo R (2014). Interplay of power and learning in planning processes: A dynamic view. Planning Theory 13(2), 115–135.

Contacts

Luisa Moretto (coordinator), Catalina Dobre, Giuseppe Faldi

• luisa.moretto@ulb.be
• catalina.dobre@ulb.be
• giuseppe.faldi@ulb.be

Campus

Flagey

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

Assignments and Evaluation: The main course theme focuses on the analysis of challenges, limits & strengths, actors’ coalitions/negotiation processes and potential future diffusion through collaborative planning tools, of the co-creation/co-production practice – part of ongoing urban collaborative projects in Brussels or Rome – studied during the 5-day workshop. Students will be evaluated according to their capacity to structure qualitative research on this subject and to conduct it. Main criteria for the evaluation are 1. Coherence and relevance of the research conducted, 2. Clearness of the final document presented.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Examination: 50% workshop group presentation + 50% poster with written introduction (10% progresses + 40% final presentation). Students will conduct group presentations on a problem of co-creation/co-production at the end of the 5-days workshop (50%). They will also conduct an individual project following up on the presentation, addressing the problem in greater detail. This part of the assignment (50%) will take the form of a poster and of a written introduction (500 words), both analysing challenges, limits, strengths, actors and potential future diffusion of the studied co-creation/co-production practice, in relation to the theoretical foundations acquired during the course lectures and core readings.
The grading criteria for this assignment can be read below: 1) Poster structure (30%): • The information and images should be clear and well-organized; • A clear poster is able to tell a short, but coherent, story; • Less is usually more. 2) Understanding (30%): • The students clearly demonstrate that they understand the material and can reflect on it; • Use appropriate definitions; • Examples should be relevant and historically/factually accurate; • Succinct and clear use of theory. 3) Arguments (30%): • Make sure your poster conveys a point; • Connect to the formulated problematic; • Stick closely to the subject matter (avoid tangents, use visuals to support your point, not distract from it); • Stem from clear and relevant links between themes; • Distinguish your own arguments from those of authors. 4) Originality/Creativity (10%): • Is the content presented in an original/creative way?

Language(s) of evaluation

• english