Agonism and co-design of urban spaces

Abstract

In this paper, I analyse the potentials of co-design interventions as a new approach to urban development, moving the development of urban spaces from the domain of urban planners to a shared domain between the professionals and citizens who use them. The developments of urban space in this way come to involve the often-diverging opinions and use practices of citizens, and enable new flexibility in the interpretation of urban futures. Co-design processes are becoming relevant for the development of urban spaces not least due to the increasing focus on ‘liveability’ in large European cities, a perspective that challenges planners to re-imagine their work practices. I argue that agonistic urban development and viewing the urban setting in an assemblage perspective are productive frameworks for analysing co-design interventions in the three cases from Copenhagen studied in the paper. The paper concludes that co-design interventions do indeed present new possibilities for the development of urban spaces. By diversifying the group of stakeholders, reconfiguring the urban spaces in question and translating the diverse user perspectives from urban life into planning practices, interventions can impact the socio-technical development of the city. The study shows how co-design interventions can assist in the re-imagination of urban futures for planners and citizens alike.