The EU project BALTIC UKH responds to the growing need for spaces and services across the Baltic Sea Region enabling citizens to access and exchange reliable and comprehensible information, thereby fighting disinformation and propaganda.

Currently, we experience a lack in spaces and services tailored to the needs of their end-users, often because their voices are not included in the design process. Although the importance of co-creation activities has become more evident, there is a lack in standards or shortcuts.

To tackle this challenge, the project partners together with the Associated Organizations are developing a research-based toolbox for the participatory design of hybrid and flexible informational spaces using the idea of “Urban Knowledge Hubs” as a new space concept.

Said hubs represent innovative local learning and meeting places interconnected in global information networks, supporting citizens in becoming digitally literate and well-informed. At their core, UKHs foster social innovation since target groups are engaged during their design and implementation as well as ongoing evaluation processes after their initialization.

By offering the toolbox to libraries as well as other public information and services providers, our output will increase the capacity of public institutions to set up their own co-creation processes. The 4C toolbox (focusing on co-creation, co-design, co-production and co-evaluation) will entail a step-by-step framework, suitable for different contexts, target groups and levels of experience with participatory processes.

The collaboration within this Interreg Baltic Sea Region project has helped to create an output that will be adaptable for the needs of public authorities in urban and rural areas, as well as NGOs and higher education institutions. It will include best practices and will be made publicly available in 5 languages in the Baltic Sea Region. With this, we hope to increase the quality of informational spaces and services thereby empowering citizens to become well-informed, while simultaneously increasing user engagement in the development of communal spaces and services.