Roundtable Co-production in planning at WPSC26

The roundtable aimed to bring together experiences from different European countries – such as the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain – in order to explore how co-production can address contemporary challenges across Europe. The roundtable addressed both co-production initiated bottom-up by urban social movements claiming the right to shape urban spaces as well as co-production of planning at neighbourhood scale invited by the public sector. Co-production refers to the active contribution of both the public sector and citizens to the provision of public goods and services, and can be an appropriate approach for a wide range of issues such as public space, housing, food provision or medical services. Intermediaries between the public sector and citizens – such as consultants, researchers and NGOs – play a crucial role in this process. The speakers see the greatest benefits of this approach in fragile neighbourhoods and as means of involving people who would otherwise not be part of decisions affecting their living environment. To sustain co-production over the long term, resources are needed for facilitation, trust between the actors and professionalisation from the bottom. Co-production takes different forms depending on the local context and the composition of stakeholders; however, social networks and the sharing of strategies and examples can help to support co-productive practices across Europe and beyond.

We would like to thank our speakers Francesca Bragaglia, Laura Calbet and Gavin Parker for sharing their thoughts and experiences in this stimulating discussion.