"JPI Urban Europe ENSUF" Learning Loops in the Public Realm

The public realm is a place where urban stakeholders interact and sometimes come into conflict. Symptoms such as traffic congestion, street safety and air pollution are difficult to tackle, as they involve multiple stakeholders. Planning and implementation to improve public space can be enhanced through co-creation, but examples of co-creation approaches and tools that overarch the full planning cycle are rare. The aim of the LOOPER is to build a participatory co-creation methodology and platform, to demonstrate 'learning loops' i.e. new ways of decision-making which bring together citizens, stakeholders and policy-makers to iteratively learn how to address urban challenges. A typical loop starts with debate on topical issues, then frames the problem and collects data using participatory sensing. The platform then visualizes the data, and enables the co-design and evaluation of solutions. The selected solutions are then implemented, and the results are monitored with a second loop learning from the first. LOOPER will produce a prototype platform with demonstrations in three Urban Living Labs with different spatial, cultural and thematic contexts: traffic calming and pedestrianisation in Brussels; street safety and security in Manchester; environmental pollution in Verona. It will also provide guidance, available for to enable any city to improve its decision-making.

The main stakeholders and beneficiaries of this project include:
- Municipal departments particularly in planning, transport, housing, environment and LED
- Third sector / non-governmental organisations particularly in housing design and management, urban environmental protection, place-making and transport
- Communities, residents, citizens and local stakeholders (not necessarily the same persons)
- Private companies associated with urban planning and design, public consultation,

The overarching objective of LOOPER is to to realise the goal of a fully responsive, participatory and inclusive planning and decision-making process. To do this it will develop and test a tool which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies, in conjunction with online and offline tools. This involves two main types of outcomes: improved decision making processes and the implementation of new solutions. These outcomes have a series of financial, social / environmental and policy impacts at both the local level and European level.

Financial impacts for urban stakeholders: The global market for smart cities and urban infrastructure is estimated to be worth up to $1.5 trillion by 2020. At the same time it is clear that pilots and demonstration projects have not yet led to the effective scaling of urban solutions.

The outputs from LOOPER embed technical solutions in local needs through the development of a full learning loop co-creation process. A key impact of this will be to improve the ability of municipal stakeholders to successfully implement urban solutions, and the potential financial benefits of this are very substantial. Locally, urban planners, residents and NGOs will benefit from more efficient and attractive urban infrastructure which, for example, provides ecosystem services, improves air quality, and reduces carbon emissions. Nationally and internationally businesses will benefit from being able to deploy their products and services more effectively. This is especially important in terms of the LOOPER tools themselves, which will be fully exploited in terms of commercialisable value.

Social and environmental impacts: A long standing mission in urban planning is a participative and inclusive decision-making process that is at the same time fully evidence based and robust in different places and different sectors. By embedding the co-creation process in rigorous learning loops, LOOPER will provide a platform for both scientists and practitioners to collaborate in a way that produces satisfying outputs for residents and planners. The impacts of this will be to enable local authorities and 3rd sector agencies to respond more effectively to citizen and community needs. Alongside, the more intangible benefits to municipalities and service providers include enhanced trust and improved satisfaction. A key impact of the citizen role in local decision-making involves greater political buy-in and the development of secondary competencies around consultation and participation.

Policy impacts local & national: A key output of LOOPER involves a tool to enable more rigorous forms of co-creation capable of supporting a new model of decision-making. LOOPER uses quantitative and qualitative research to understand how cities function and assess the effectiveness of key interventions and decisions. A key impact of LOOPER will be to develop a model of urban decision-making that brings scientific evidence and specific community needs together, while also opening up space for organisations and businesses to engage in remaking cities. Within the project, LOOPER will implement a new decision making tool in three cities which will impact directly upon the organisations involved.