HOW DOES
CO-CREATION
LOOK LIKE?

Between January and October 2015 we were commissioned by the Malmö Innovation Arena (formerly Malmö Innovation Platform), a conglomeration of municipal departments, private companies and NGOs to develop a co-creation methodology for shared spaces. The location for developing this methodology was Persborg, a neighbourhood in Malmö in need of revitalisation.

““Malmö’s crowd-sourced living room aims to break down walls between communities and power, harking back hundreds of years to a time when squares, piazzas and market places fostered community and nurtured civic debate” ”

— The Guardian

The Meeting Point

Analysing the main meeting point of the neighbourhood (in this case, the neighbourhood square)

1. The Pop Up Space
   Creating a temporary work space which was a central reference point for all the actors and target groups
2. The Storytelling
   Communicating the project using different channels to the target groups, partners, media outlets and other partners
3. Tools
   Testing and developing tools for others to use (installations, workshops, data collection methods and more

Four questions guiding the project:

1. Interdisciplinary Work: How can urbanisation processes adopt an interdisciplinary approach to developing solutions?
2. The Third Actor: What kind of actor is needed to complement municipalities and private companies when they co-creation processes and participatory design?
3. The Trend: Why is the answer to urbanisation (50% of the world population living in cities by 2050) co-creation and participatory citizenship?
4. The Trend: Why is the answer to urbanisation (50% of the world population living in cities by 2050) co-creation and participatory citizenship?

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RESULTS AND LEARNING

Case study

The project became a focal case study for the city of Malmô (namely the Streets Department) to adapt and alter protocols and decision-making processes and the upcoming city strategy for citizen participation. 

Co-ownership

At the peak of the process, 30% of the local residents were engaged in the project in different capacities (from actively taking part in surveys and questionnaires to hands-on workshops and participation in the design process.)

Flexible urban environments

The results showed an increasing need for flexible planning to re-design cities that can be responsive to the needs of the users and can easily re-adapt to newer needs and upcoming generations of citizens. 

The setting up the space was documented at The Connectors Universe blog. 

The project was done in collaboration with
The Malmö Innovation Platform
MKB
Interaction Design at Malmö University
Stpln

Awards and selected press
The original concept was selected at the  LLGA Cities Summit for The City of Malmö.