Digital Co-Creation to Support Transformation of Open Public Spaces: Vilnius Living Lab Case

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of public space transformation in Vilnius through community-wide participation employing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) where the bottom-up community initiatives lead to the conversion of the Post-Soviet factories area into a multifunctional open space. Digital technologies enable collective methods of creativity, such as co-creation, in resolving complex urban problems, but also provide novel opportunities for designing inclusive, attractive and responsive public places. This case study employed the Composite Digital Co-Creation Index methodology which evaluates variety of aspects in the transformation of open spaces to co-creative systems: sociocultural contexts, multi-stakeholder perspective, diversity in needs, incentives for the participation of different groups and cooperation capabilities. The framework was built according to theoretical discussion related to co-creation, urban planning, collective intelligence theories with insights on ICT applications in generating public value. The empirical data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, survey, digital monitoring, and other secondary materials such as reports, etc. The framework provides a useful approach to explore initiatives of digital co-creation as it allows to identify potential areas of improvement.