The C3PLACES Project aims to develop strategies and tools to enhance the quality of urban public spaces (such as squares, parks, green areas) based on the concept of co-creation and using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to positively influence social cohesion. In recent decades, ICT has become an important means of social communication. People create and maintain interpersonal relationships through various digital media, consequently influencing how they organize their daily lives and utilize the city and its spaces. Even in the digital age, the diversity of public spaces remains essential for the development of cultural identity, as they constitute important meeting places within the urban fabric and offer a venue for interaction among people of different generations and ethnic backgrounds. Regardless of age, we all still need contact with nature and other people to develop various competencies, values, and attitudes; to be healthier, to feel satisfied with our lives, and to be environmentally responsible.

By producing knowledge and practical know-how based on a co-creative approach that combines the use of ICT with the fundamental roles of public spaces and the active involvement of users, C3PLACES will explore new urban dynamics as a service to the community and expand knowledge about the role of public spaces, paying attention to the local context, different social groups, and stakeholders involved. By utilizing ICT and co-creating with users, C3PLACES will also add knowledge to meet the emerging needs of citizens regarding the future public space.

Research team

• Carlos Smaniotto Costa
• Diogo Mateus
• Filipa Lourenço
• Inês Almeida
• Joana Batista

Partners

• Lusófona University
• National Laboratory of Civil Engineering
• Mykolas Romeris University
• Ghent University
• University of Milan
• Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia