Co-creation for Enhancing Quality of Public Spaces: Learning from Europe Readr Experience in Serbia

Abstract

There is a rising concern in the architectural academic and professional community about the current transformation of cities and public spaces, seeking for (a) new and innovative approaches to planning and shaping future cities and habitats, and (b) a platform for experimentation and designing of innovative solutions to complex societal problems through co-creation. The paper aims to highlight the regenerative role that educational projects with a practical dimension could have on the public space and the community. The Europe Readr pavilion in Serbia has been developed in the cooperation of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Belgrade and the Laboratory for urban morphology and typology (Morpho- Lab) of the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Architecture within the broader international project EUROPE READR. Guided by European values, sustainability, and the European Green Deal through designing public spaces for the exchange of ideas and values, UBFA considered both the process of learning - and the result itself. Accordingly, the process implied multiple phases of project development that included two-stage student competition, three mentored workshops and presentations to project partners, and finally, implementation phase. The paper brings significant experiences regarding potentials and challenges in innovation, critical thinking, competence, co-creation, developing technical drawings, understanding of building and assembling techniques, public purchase regulations, and on-site activities. The project provided stepping out from academia bringing a positive change both to education and public space.