CommuniCity
ProjectCommuniCity aims to learn from, co-create and test concrete, citizen-driven socio-technical solutions; but, in order to activate sensitive target communities, it explicitly takes into account the role of strong and creative local partners – acting as gatekeepers or local champions for comprehending, capturing those communities’ needs, and facilitating uptake – as part of the process. The methodology of inclusive co-creation cycle consists of three elements: implementation (solutions), infrastructure (reusable mechanisms) and reflection (critical analysis, assessment, learning).
Why?
Co-creation is crucial to the digital transformation of cities and an inclusive approach toward its communities. While it is crucial, the methodology is simultaneously challenging to execute successfully. It necessitates us to acknowledge the heterogeneity of cities’ citizens and their diverging demands, wishes, social status and accompanying struggles. Especially in the case of people who are regarded (and produced by state) as marginalized or otherwise experience systemic exclusion, it is important to recognize this heterogeneity. CommuniCity aims to learn from, co-create and test concrete, citizen-driven socio-technical solutions; but, in order to activate sensitive target communities, it explicitly takes into account the role of strong and creative local partners – acting as gatekeepers or local champions for comprehending, capturing those communities’ needs, and facilitating uptake – as part of the process. Striving towards equality, contemporary design must consider making mindful choices now, together, inclusive and participatory. CommuniCity promises to explore the ways in which this can be done and implemented on a European scale.
How?
The methodology of inclusive co-creation cycle consists of three elements: implementation (solutions), infrastructure (reusable mechanisms) and reflection (critical analysis, assessment, learning). However, this methodology should be implemented in conjunction with the inclusive discourse of participatory design, often inspired by seminal critical pedagogic texts such as Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1972). By guiding (and monitoring) the co-design processes between community (champion associations) and (tech) developers during pilots, we are able to set up data points that illustrate the importance and efficacy of this participatory design-for-future-use (infrastructuring (A Le Dantec, DiSalvo 2013) process. This analysis of impact is informed by guidelines for ethical and inclusive engagement, composed by us. The aim is to blend quantitative with qualitative measurements in order to strive towards social inclusion.
What?
- Develop principles of ethical and inclusive engagement for pilot participants; community (leaders) and (tech) developers.
- Developing evaluation criteria for impact assessment
- Develop a methodology of co-creation tailored to the project.
- 3 cycles of pilots within European cities, over the span of 3 years.
- Closely monitored pilots that put emphasis on co-creation
- The development of socio-technical solutions that help marginalized communities as well as tech developers address structural issues.
When?
September 2022 – September 2025
Who?
Creative Media for Social Change (HvA)
University of Amsterdam
Gemeente Amsterdam
Open & Agile Smart Cities (Coordinator)
European Network of Living Labs
Centre de Visio per Computador
Sociedade Portuguesa ee Inovacao
Porto Digital
City of Amsterdam
Forum Virium Helsinki
Demos Helsinki
Engineering
Domus Social
