In order to define the task of a smart and sustainable urban area co-creation and to identify a development consortium, it is useful to view the city as being made up of different systems. The current state is therefore the sum of the starting points of these systems.
The starting point for successful co-creation is thus:
- Understanding the systems as a whole and their sub-systems
- Knowledge of subsystem communities, research and regulation
- Identifying the specificities of system-level processes
- Ability to set a task and put together a consortium capable of solving it. Ability to identify current development needs and opportunities
- Ability to orchestrate the different systems in the region and coordinate city-wide and regional systems
- Ability to identify the starting points (typologies) of different regions for co-creation. The typological starting points identified in the project in Espoo are infill development, new construction, dense and sparsely built-up areas, and areas with different uses. Land ownership is also a factor, especially in terms of means.
A city is made up of intertwined and overlapping systems and service entities, each with its own actors.
Developing the sustainability of an urban area is about the sustainability of systems.
A system is a functional entity that follows certain principles. A system is made up of parts and the relationships between parts that create the entity.
The city as systems
Traditionally, a city is planned in terms of real estate, transport systems and infrastructure with their subsystems, and green infrastructure. A city is thus made up of built urban ecosystems and natural ecosystems. In addition to this, a city is made up of service systems and social networks, which can also be viewed as systems (e.g. business ecosystems or regional service provision). Developing sustainability is about the sustainability of systems. When we know the current state of the systems and their impacts, as well as the objectives, we can develop the sustainability of the systems.