DPU's Andrea Rigon attends conference in Cagliari to present paper on digital co-production

Andrea Rigon attended the Association of Italian Planners Conference (SIU) on the theme Transitions, Spatial Justice and Territorial Planning in Cagliari. He presented a paper written with DPU's Julian Walker on the conceptual hypothesis underpinning the Botnar project.

He was glad to find other presenters who have been co-developing digital platforms with citizens in the municipality of Reggio Emilia, in partnership with university and a software developer. Their open source model allows for hackers and other programmes to integrate and expand the digital platform. Andrea learned about the challenges they faced in fostering participation beyond the core group that was also active offline.

Andrea also won the best paper prize for the conference stream Participation, Inclusion and conflict management in the processes of territorial government with his paper on Diversity, Justice and Participation: an intersectional approach to urban development in fragile contexts. The conference was a great opportunity for networking, and deepening the reflection on urban co-production processes and the role of institutions both government and the university, with a reflexive approach to the role of the planner.