The roles below are described from the perspective of a large-scale urban development project and they would be slightly different for a smaller-scale site.
Political decision-makers
Decision-makers decide on the master plan and spatial development, and can take a position on how to develop the city through their strategy for their term in cooperation with the administration.
City management
The city management, in cooperation with decision-makers, manage the city’s strategic goals, stakeholder engagement and working objectives through both strategic and operational management. Management also prepares a budget that provides the resources to achieve the objectives.
Officials
Officials have roles, as determined by their tasks and responsibilities, in which they can support or play an active role in the co-creation process.
- Zoning and land use planning
- Construction supervision
- Municipal or regional environmental or sustainable development organisation
Property owners / landowners
Owners are parties to the co-creation consortium in their own right, if they so choose.
Residents
Residents have local knowledge and resources that benefit the planning and lifecycle of sustainable areas. They are the users or residents of many urban systems, and are key players in optimising the sustainability of areas and systems.
Businesses and other communities
Large service providers, the local community, and other public and private service and solution providers can work together to facilitate smooth and sustainable daily life, and to optimise the flexibility and resilience of service delivery. The responsibility of communities involved in the implementation and delivery of services and the sustainability of their production is being significantly strengthened through legislation.
- Large service providers and operators (e.g. Fortum, HSL)
- Solution providers (e.g. heat pump suppliers, scooter suppliers, charging point suppliers, platform/mobile application suppliers, etc.)
- Companies already operating in the area
- Expert consultants (specific expertise, process facilitation)
Development and associated companies
Development companies and associated companies play an important role especially in the implementation of large areas. An entire site, or parts of the site and its properties, can be managed by a development company or an associated company for the duration of the construction or lifecycle of the area.
- Regional development
- Parking
- Shared facilities
- Alliances
Research organisations (research institutes & universities)
Research organisations bring knowledge to the process and conduct research to develop sustainable and smart solutions for regions.
Funders
Funders seek to identify sites for investment that meet the sustainability criteria of the taxonomy. Funders need increasingly strong evidence of the sustainability of projects.