The goal of co-production is to generate results that may be shared with all the actors. Examples of such results would be new ways to frame a problem, or new policies and visions. By bringing diverse actors together, co-production also results in new relationships. It can therefore mobilise and empower participants to create better cities and communities. Not only does co-production foster collaboration and partnership but it stimulates learning among diverse actors – these actors could be civil servants, citizens, urban planners, entrepreneurs, architects, scientists, or engineers. In a co-production model, they contribute to the design, implementation, and management of solutions together.

Co-production addresses complex urban problems which have no quick fix. Because of this complexity, a diverse set of actors is needed to collaboratively design solutions that will respond to various needs. However, often, policy and planning leave little room for collaborative processes.

At a community level, the co-production process and its results need to be supported by the stakeholders – outreach and awareness activities such as PR campaigns or public events are important to achieve this. At a local government level, the co-production process should be built into existing strategic agendas and plans to foster connections and synergies so that the knowledge gained is available for future innovations.

Co-production allows for new relationships, partnerships and collaborations among actors who were previously not in contact with each other.  It mobilises and empowers a diverse set of actors for joint solutions and action by also engaging the ‘unusual suspects’ in enhancing the ownership of and quality of solutions.

Moreover, co-production is seen as a way for bursting open departmental siloes within city governments and other local government agencies to facilitate the pooling of resources.

Step 1:  Define the goals of the co-production process

It is important to define goals for the co-production process. Goals may include the development of new visions and strategies, concrete solutions, networks or partnerships and the empowerment of citizens. The goals influence who should be involved (which actors) and how the collaboration can be achieved (the tools used) in such a way as to empower the actors and produce shared results.

Step 2: Use the design principles to flesh out the co-production goals and structure

The design principles guide the approach to the co-production process by highlighting key considerations. For example, who should be involved, what type of knowledge is needed and what kind of results are sought. The principles also help to reflect on the process and results.

Step 3:  Plan the co-production steps and activities

The steps in a co-production process are puzzle pieces which connect activities that need to happen to achieve the iterative goals of the co-production process. It is also important to identify and – as early as possible – reach out to the actors who need to be involved in each co-production step.

Step 4:  Select the co-production tools

Specific co-production tools facilitate each step of the process towards desired goals. The choice of tools depends on the goals of the co-production process, on the specific co-production step and on the type of actors involved. After selecting the co-production tools, it is important to identify the materials, skills and other requirements needed to implement the tool.

Step 5: Reflect on the co-production process and results

Co-production processes are open processes and evolve over time as learning progresses. This requires continuous reflexivity, which helps to identify lessons learned and to adapt the process in light of changing objectives.

Those involved in co-production should be enabled to ask  questions of the process along the way such as Which goals does the process aim to achieve? Is the process on the way to achieving these, or do we need adaptations? Reflexive monitoring can help to achieve reflexivity and evaluate the process in progress.

Three output design principles show what kind of results should be generated and evaluated by and in co-production:

1. Actionable knowledge for policy and planning ensures that the co-produced knowledge is immediately relevant and translated into policy and planning

2. Usable knowledge and empowerment ensure that the co-produced knowledge outputs are valuable to and taken up by many actors

3. Extending institutions for N-Synergies ensures that the coproduced knowledge connects to multiple goals, strategies, and agendas within the city. This helps to create synergies across sectors.

Goals and objectives of co-production can vary in order and are iterative. It is important to identify the concrete co-production steps with a timeline of when these are going to happen. This is not meant to be a blueprint – it is likely that the process will need to change and adapt therefore it is important to allow for enough flexibility and time to do so.