How do citizens, designers, policymakers, and local entrepreneurs actually work together in ways that are inclusive, sustainable, and effective? Collaboration in urban innovation is often treated as a matter of method or structure, but what happens when timelines clash, trust falters, or understanding lags? What skills facilitate co-creation, and what happens when they’re missing?
These questions drove the project Creative Competences Map for Co-Creation in the City (Creatieve Competentiekaart voor Co-Creatie in de Stad, or CCCC). Initiated by Hogeschool Rotterdam with design studios Noorderwind, Slijpstof, and Make-Day, this project explored how creative professionals, civil servants, residents, and educators navigate collaboration in complex local initiatives. It was supported by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA (KIEM regeling), which funds applied research at the intersection of education, practice, and innovation. The goal was not only to understand what makes co-creation succeed but also to produce tools that help practitioners recognise, reflect on, and strengthen the invisible competences at play in the process. The project was built on earlier participatory design work in Rotterdam, including civic prototyping and community-driven innovation with partners such as the Afrikaanderwijk Coöperatie and VONK (the municipal innovation lab). These initiatives showed that success depends on more than checklists or toolkits — it requires relational skill, improvisation, and the ability to bridge cultures and domains.
At its core, the CCCC project asked: Which creative competences allow designers, civil servants, local entrepreneurs, and citizens to collaborate effectively and develop urban initiatives with societal value?