The present work aims at analysing the concept of urban co-governance, how and where it has been already applied, what are those theoretical elements and pillars that can be easily applied to different urban contexts with which consequences and impacts. The analysis is functional to the design and development of a drOp co-governance strategy and model, able to permanently support integrated approaches to local development and renovation, based on commons and civic participation. It means shifting the entire urban attitude and framework from a top-down approach, to a multistakeholder complex environment, where citizens are at the core. Moving in this direction means sharing and restructuring power infrastructures and enabling a regeneration of trust among urban components. At same time, it implies slower decision-making processes, new intermediary civic bodies and overall resetting of the urban stability among the components. To properly achieve this goal, it is required time to change power culture and structures, and firmly believing in the benefits brought by an urban co-governance model.
In the context of current urban development, several models are emerging in order to improve the quality of life of citizens. Cities are complex ecosystem threated by a multitude of dynamics and forces that are radically influencing social changes and shifting the way political, social, cultural and economic processes are conducted. An urban co-governance model refers to the presence of a multi-stakeholder governance scheme whereby the community emerges as an actor and partners up with at least three different urban actors of the so-called Quintuple Helix model of Innovation (it will be largely explained in the next chapter). This scheme provides access to critical decisions, goods and services and therefore guarantee fundamental rights to urban residents and generate added value for the local community and the other urban stakeholders, which also means that it generates quality to local life.
The capacity to foster multi-stakeholder urban governance or “urban co-governance” approaches can be crucial to address complex urban challenges, as transforming social housing neighbourhoods into inclusive smart districts, as aimed by this project.
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