The Outreach of Participatory Methods in Smart Cities, From the Co-Design of Public Services to the Evaluation: Insights From the Athens Case Study

Participatory design methods are becoming increasingly known, required, and applied in innovation projects. This article presents the experience gained in the H2020 project CO3 “Digital Disruptive Technologies to Co-Create, Co-Produce, and Co-Manage Open Public Services Along With Citizens.” It describes the participatory design-oriented approach to actively engage stakeholders in the definition of public services augmented by disruptive technologies in the area of urban commoning. The implementation and the main results of the co-design workshops carried out in Athens, one of the three CO3 pilots, are discussed. The data collected and lessons learned from the co-design activities in Athens provided requirements and specifications for the implementation of public services supplying basic provisions such as food, health, and housing. Finally, the paper explores the methodological implications for the next phases of the project, showing how participatory methods can be used for the pilots' evaluation to meet stakeholders' expectations.