With more than half of the world’s population now living in urban areas, co-creating transformative urban sustainability solutions is paramount in the 21st century. Addressing sustainability challenges related to rapid urban growth, social inequality and climate change requires an inclusive approach to sustainability, which means involving citizens, especially those who have been traditionally hard to reach, in conversations about the future. FutureTalks is a five-year research project proposed for Toronto, Canada that will consider the choices and tradeoffs that 100,000 citizens from diverse backgrounds are willing to make in envisioning the sustainable future of their city. The project brings together scholars, non-governmental organizations, and actors from the government and private sectors in a large-scale and interactive co-creation process that harnesses the collective knowledge of the community as a means of generating new understandings and solutions. The aims of the project are to better understand: (1) how a large-scale community co-creation process can be undertaken in a large city; (2) the societal impacts of different means of engagement, visioning, and mobilization around urban sustainability; and (3) how Toronto’s experience can be applied in other cities. One of the theoretical frameworks guiding FutureTalks is the emerging literature on co-production and co-creation of research and action (Jasanoff, 2004; Lemos and Morehouse, 2005; Pohl, et al, 2010). Researchers work with colleagues in the private, public, and/or civil society sectors in the articulation of research questions, in the undertaking of the research itself, and interpretation and use of the results (Robinson and Tansey, 2006; Talwar et al, 2011). Another theoretical context for this project is the literature on urban sustainability and climate change governance, which highlights the growing role of cities in addressing global challenges of climate change and sustainability (Bulkeley and Betsill, 2003; Marcotullio et al., 2014; Gore and Robinson 2009). Traditional community engagement processes often exclude underrepresented and equity-seeking groups in cities (Abbott 1996; Agyeman and Evans 2003; Hughes 2013). Meaningful and sustained engagement from the public and other non-state actors can improve policy outcomes, bolster legitimacy, and empower residents (Burch, 2010; Sarzynski, 2015). An important first step for building community and collecting data began in October 2016 at the Minden Symposium, a Toronto-based gathering hosted by the University of Toronto’s School of the Environment that convened researchers and community partners who revealed that meaningful and mutually beneficial cross-sector partnerships are crucially important for the success of the project, and continued engagement with attention paid to equality between academic and non-academic partners is vital to build trust. Data collection and analysis would occur through a participatory action research (PAR) approach that uses mixed methods, notably observant participation, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups to produce rich detail regarding the relational and organizational aspects of co-creation processes. During my oral presentation, I will share findings from the Minden Symposium that indicate the kinds of partners and governance mechanisms needed to undertake a large-scale co-creation process like FutureTalks, the role of academia, and opportunities for maintaining a shared vision.
