Assessment of digital co-creation for public open spaces: methodological guidelines

Abstract

The accessibility and quality of public open spaces (e.g., parks, gardens, squares and plazas) are critical for cultural identity development as they provide important gathering points in the urban fabric and offer a place for social activities, enabling interaction among people of different generations and ethnicities. Public open spaces enhance the urban environment by providing important ecological processes and ecosystem services. The current research generates knowledge about co-creation approach to be used to merge the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) with these essential functions of the public spaces. It explores new dynamics of open spaces as a trusted service for the community and expands our understanding of how meditated public open spaces function, paying attention to stakeholders, local context and different social groups. The paper presents the design of Digital Co-Creation Index and methodological guidelines for applying Digital Co-creation monitoring technique for evaluation of co-creation processes in designing attractive, inclusive and responsive public open spaces.