Doing and redoing – Opportunities and limits of co-design for public and welfare spaces

Abstract

The article explores the action-research experiences conducted by the Social Design Lab of the Politecnico di Torino and the Augmented City Lab of the University of Palermo, two research groups experimenting with participatory design approaches to address complex social challenges. The discussion covers different urban regeneration projects and co-design of spaces for public services, tools for social inclusion, and the transformation of local welfare systems. The role of participatory design and co-creation in promoting the active involvement of stakeholders is analysed, questioning the lasting impacts in terms of inclusion, care, and collective responsibility for the implemented interventions. The critical reflection also concerns the sustainability of these processes and their potential to trigger organisational and policy-related changes.