Exploring the connection between transdisciplinary co-production and urban sustainability solutions: a case study at an urban stream management symposium

Abstract

Urban sustainability challenges are complex, impacting a wide range of stakeholders. It is commonly accepted that sustainable solutions must integrate scientific knowledge from a variety of disciplines, coupled with community stakeholder ideas, norms, and practices in ways that link knowledge to decision-making and action. Jointly researching problems and co-designing solutions, known as co-production, requires working together in teams. Interestingly, the intersection of co-production and team science has been understudied. We address this gap by asking: Does team formation – specifically, single-, multi- or trans-disciplinary teams – impact the process and perceived efficacy of sustainability solutions? Using case study data collected at the 5th Symposium for Urbanization and Stream Ecology (SUSE5), held in February 2020, we explore the impact of bringing different types of teams together to generate solutions to real-world “wicked problems” surrounding urban streams in Austin, Texas. We found that the solutions generated by trans-disciplinary teams – i.e., teams that include multiple disciplines and community members – were on average rated higher by their peers than solutions from single- or multi-disciplinary teams. However, our findings suggest that some transdisciplinary teams found it difficult to get through the different stages of problem definition to solution design. The findings from this limited but novel and unique case study make two important contributions to the literature. First, co-production leads to more agreeable solutions to urban sustainability challenges. Second, co-production team dynamics are likely to be more complicated and variable than disciplinary or multidisciplinary teams. A better understanding of these opportunities and challenges can inform institutions and agencies employing a community-engaged process to solve urban sustainability challenges.