TY - JOUR

T1 - A Systematic Assessment for the Co-Design of Green Infrastructure Prototypes

T2 - A Case Study in Urban Costa Rica

AU - Chapa, Fernando

AU - Perez Rubi, María

AU - Hack, Jochen

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), grant number 01UU1704. Funding Information: The research platform for sustainability FONA of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds the research group SEE-URBAN-WATER in the field of socio-ecological TdR. The research focus of the group is on the socio-ecological improvement of already-developed urban areas through retrofitting measures by employing NbS, especially for the management of urban drainage and wastewater systems. The co-design of prototypes has been developed in the group as an empirical experiment to identify how GI can be effectively implemented in practice [,,].

PY - 2023/1/30

Y1 - 2023/1/30

N2 - The management of urban water has evolved from single-function systems to more sustainable designs promoting society and nature as inputs to engineer novel infrastructure. In transdisciplinary research, co-design refers to a design-thinking strategy in which people jointly frame a problem–solution. This article presents a conceptual framework to assess a case study focusing on the process of co-design and implementation of green infrastructure as a prototype for urban stormwater management. The evaluation is carried out from a self-reflective post-implementation perspective. Research activities are translated into the framework to evaluate conditions shaping the trajectory of the prototype development. As a result, key aspects driving the transdisciplinary research regarding levels of stakeholder participation and dimensions of power are identified. Planning resilient co-design strategies to retrofit urban spaces is necessary to avoid unintended consequences, especially at initial experimental stages. This study aims to contribute to the continuous improvement of piloting strategies in urban spaces by providing a framework for a structured evaluation of transdisciplinary research experiences.

AB - The management of urban water has evolved from single-function systems to more sustainable designs promoting society and nature as inputs to engineer novel infrastructure. In transdisciplinary research, co-design refers to a design-thinking strategy in which people jointly frame a problem–solution. This article presents a conceptual framework to assess a case study focusing on the process of co-design and implementation of green infrastructure as a prototype for urban stormwater management. The evaluation is carried out from a self-reflective post-implementation perspective. Research activities are translated into the framework to evaluate conditions shaping the trajectory of the prototype development. As a result, key aspects driving the transdisciplinary research regarding levels of stakeholder participation and dimensions of power are identified. Planning resilient co-design strategies to retrofit urban spaces is necessary to avoid unintended consequences, especially at initial experimental stages. This study aims to contribute to the continuous improvement of piloting strategies in urban spaces by providing a framework for a structured evaluation of transdisciplinary research experiences.

KW - co-design

KW - Costa Rica

KW - green infrastructure

KW - prototype

KW - transdisciplinary

KW - urban water systems

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148040930&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/su15032478

DO - 10.3390/su15032478

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85148040930

VL - 15

JO - Sustainability (Switzerland)

JF - Sustainability (Switzerland)

SN - 2071-1050

IS - 3

M1 - 2478

ER -