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Short abstract:

The current state-of-the-art of citizen participation in sustainable urban transitions is ill-prepared to deal with growing popular resistances against sustainable change. Revisiting the notions of co-design (guided by Latour) and co-production (guided by Lefebvre) helps us to escape this impasse.

Long abstract:

Participation in urban planning originally served as a shield against the sweeping and disruptive changes imposed by top-down planning. However, with growing resistance against the changes proposed as part of urban sustainability transitions participation cannot be defined in this defensive way any longer. That citizens are likely to reject necessary changes - e.g., in relation to automobility - if given a say in urban planning, is today usually dealt with in two primary, non-exclusive ways:

- Downplayed and hidden changes: These prioritize technological alterations that minimize the direct impact on citizens. Unfortunately, such drop-in substitutions have limited effectiveness in reducing CO2 emissions.

- Reframed as co-creation: These participation exercises are often tokenistic, with the illusion of involvement shattered when co-creation workshops are open to all citizens rather than a carefully curated selection. Here, the participation aims to mobilize or - where this is not possible - to at least placate citizens.

In this paper, I propose revisiting the terms “co-design” and “co-production” as alternatives to “co-creation.” By taking the compound “co-” seriously and reflecting on the individual meanings of “design” and “production,” we can define key parameters for citizen participation that avoid the pitfalls of current practices. Drawing on theoretical insights from Bakhtin, Lefebvre, and Latour, as well as empirical examples from seven years of organizing citizen participation within a large research center focused on zero-emission neighborhoods, this proposal seeks to improve both our analytical toolbox and our contributions to sustainable urban planning.