Co-producing Urbanisms

Off

Cities are shaped by multiple interests, which often act in pursuit of conflicting visions. Urban challenges are complex and require different kinds of knowledge and expertise. Greater citizen participation and strengthening the municipal scale are seen as ways of addressing long-standing economic, social and spatial injustices.

These issues have led to increased interest in co-production, heralded by many as a way of addressing complex issues through bringing together different kinds of expertise to realise more just and sustainable urban futures.

This theme examines the history, processes, practices and potentials of co-production in reshaping relations between knowledge, justice and democracy at the local level.

Research Questions

What are the different histories, traditions and practices of co-production across diverse global urban contexts?
What are the implications of co-production for the cultural and technical modes, means and modalities of governing cities, especially in reshaping relationships between the local state and citizens?
What are the implications of co-production for how we practice social scientific research, the roles of researchers and the wider contributions of universities to their local communities?
Can co-production live up to its promise, and if so how?

People

Theme Lead: Beth Perry

UI members: Vicky Simpson | Vanesa Castan Broto | AbdouMaliq Simone | Enora Robin | Hita Unnikrishnan

Visitors: Sophie King | Zarina Patel | Bert Russell | Victoria Habermehl

Interrogations

Partners

Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action
African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, Kisumu, Kenya
Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development
INLOGOV, University of Birmingham
Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester

Publications

Journal articles

Perry, B. (2022). Co-production as praxis: Critique and engagement from within the University. Methodological Innovations. DOI: 10.1177/20597991221129773

Durose, C., Perry, B. and Richardson, L. (2022). Is co-production a 'good' concept? Three responses. Futures, DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2022.102999
Durose, C., Perry. B., Richardson, L. and Dean, R. (2021). Leadership and the Hidden Politics of Co-produced Research: A Q-Methodology Study, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2021.1960738
Habermehl, V. and Perry, B. (2021) ‘The risk of austerity co-production in city-regional governance in England,’ International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
Mitlin, D., Bennett, J., Horn, P., King, S., Makau, J. and Masimba Nyama, G. (2020) Knowledge matters: Reflections on co-production in collaborations between academics and social movements. European Journal of Development Research 32, 544–559.
Richardson, L, Durose C. and Perry, B. (2019) Three tyrannies of participatory governance. Journal of Chinese Governance, DOI: 10.1080/23812346.2019.1595912.
Richardson, L., Durose, C. and Perry, B. (2018) Co- producing Urban Governance for Social Innovation, Politics and Governance 6:1.
Richardson, L., Durose, C. and Perry, B. (2018) Moving towards hybridity: the example of citizen participation, Social Policy and Administration.
Perry, B., Patel, Z., Noren Bretzer, Y. and Polk, M. (2018) Organising for co-production: local interaction platforms for urban sustainability. Politics and Governance, 6(1), ISSN 2183-2463.
Perry, B. and Atherton, M. (2017) Beyond critique: the value of co-production in realising just cities?’ Local Environment, Vol 22, 36-51.
May, T. and Perry, B. (2016) Knowledge for Just Urban Sustainability, Local Environment, Vol.22, 23-35

Books

Hemström, K., Simon, D., Palmer, H., Perry, B. and Polk, M. Eds. (2021). Transdisciplinary knowledge co-production. A guide for sustainable cities. Rugby: Practical Action. Transdisciplinary Knowledge Co-production for Sustainable Cities (practicalactionpublishing.com)
Rigon, A and Castán Broto, V. (Eds). (2021). Inclusive Urban Development in the Global South
Intersectionality, Inequalities, and Community. London: Routledge.
May, T. and Perry, B. (2018) Cities and the Knowledge Economy: Promise, Politics and Possibilities. Oxford: Routledge.
May, T. and Perry, B. (2017) Reflexivity: The Essential Guide. London: Sage.

Book chapters

Durose, C., Perry, B. and Richardson, L. (2021) ‘Co-producing research with users and communities’. In E. Loeffler and T. Bovaird (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Co-production of Public Services and Outcomes. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Perry, B. and Russell, B. (2020) Participatory Cities from the ‘Outside In’: The Value of Comparative Learning. In D. Simon, H. Palmer and J. Riise (eds) Comparative Co-production. Bristol: Policy Press. p133-155.
May, T. and Perry, B. (2016) Cities, Experiments and the Logics of the Knowledge Economy. In J. Evans, A. Karvonen and R. Raven (eds) The Experimental City. London: Routledge.

Reports and other outputs

Bellinson, R (2021) Co-production in local climate politics: A messy approach to participative policy design, Policy Brief.
Perry, B., Durose, C. and Richardson, L. with the Action Research Collective (2019) How can we govern differently? The promise and practice of co-production, Project report. Greater Manchester: Creative Concern.
Perry, B., Diprose, K., King, S., Habermehl, V., Hine, I., May, T., Russell, B., Simpson, V., Spring, C. and Taylor Buck, N., with Bellinson, R., McVicar-Payling, A. and Patient, J. (2019) Realising Just Cities: An Overview of Activity 2016–2019, Sheffield.
Perry, B., Durose, C. and Richardson, L. (2019) How social innovation can support citizen participation Open Access Government.
Durose, C., Richardson, L. and Perry, B. (2018) Craft metrics to value co-production. Nature 562: 32-33.
Mistra Urban Futures (2016) Co-production in Action – Towards Realising Just Cities. Mistra : Mistra Urban Futures.

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