Placemaking as co-creation ? professional roles and attitudes in practice

Citizens around the world are becoming more and more involved in the creation processes of various fields. However, the extent to which citizen initiatives and involvement are possible depends on the way in which professionals work. How do professional practices affect the involvement of other actors in urban development projects? The paper reviews current literature on placemaking and co-creation in order to identify suggested professional roles. Manzini?s maps of participant involvement and interaction quality, and Arnstein?s ladder of citizen participation are presented as a framework for understanding different kinds of engagement. A case study in Berlin is analysed regarding how the suggested roles work in practice. Through semi-structured interviews with initiators and participants, the paper explores how the professionals experienced working with co-creation, as well as the other participants? experiences of the professionals? part in the process. The concluding discussion highlights the challenges that were experienced and suggests ways to move forward toward truly co-creative placemaking.