Why should urbanists care about co-production?

In this lecture Professor Beth Perry will reflect on the ‘co-productive shift’ over the past 20 years, with particular attention to the theoretical, methodological and practical implications of co-production for urban studies.

Why should urbanists care about co-production

Beth will reflect on her initial motivations and subsequent reflections from a 10-year programme of work (2010-2020) to learn-through-doing about the strengths and limitations of co-production in realising more just cities. In the process, Beth will ask whether co-production is a good concept, whose interests it serves and how to marry co-production with critique from the positions of privilege we occupy in the university. The lecture will argue that co-production is one response to the need for new epistemologies of the urban, but needs to be positioned within a wider field of urban epistemics if it is to be more than a fleeting participatory fad.

The lecture will be chaired by Professor Vanesa Castán Broto and will be followed by a drinks reception for those attending in person.

Sign up to attend online here

Sign up to attend in-person here

Readings:

The Sheffield Urbanism Lecture Series

‘Why should urbanists care about co-production?’ is the first in the 2022 Sheffield Urbanism Lecture series, an initiative of the Urban Institute to stimulate dialogue, discussion and understanding of processes of urbanization and urban life. It is intended as a space to reimagine both the conceptualizations and narratives of urban studies. The 2022 lecture series, ‘Co-production and the Future of Urban Epistemics’, will build from the UI’s theme on ‘Co-producing Urbanisms’, with lectures from Professor Beth Perry (University of Sheffield), Professor Kavita Philip (University of British Colombia) and responses from Professor Michele Lancione (Polytechnic University of Turin), Dr Linda Westman (University of Sheffield) and Aïcha Diallo (University of Sheffield).

Co-production and the Future of Urban Epistemics comprises two lectures and one agenda-setting workshop. You can sign up for the other events in the series here .

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