Co-creation Practices Research Articles

Navigating complexity: an evaluation framework for assessing co-creation in public health

Abstract Background Co-creation aims to democratize research and bridge the gap between research and practice. Key characteristics like empowerment and meaningful participation shape sustainable outcomes. However, existing frameworks like Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation broadly overlook individual method contributions. This study aims to address this gap by creating and validating a framework for intrinsic evaluation, guiding stakeholders and researchers in genuine co-creation of public health interventions. Methods We systematically screened and extracted frameworks aligned with five key co-creation characteristics to identify and evaluate methods. Through iterative testing, we identified key features for distinguishing methods and integrated them into a novel framework. Co-creation experts validated and refined this framework using the closed card sort method, qualitative assessment, and group discussions. Results The Co-Creation Rainbow framework includes key features from 20 existing frameworks, with an Individual-to-Collective Continuum, five sections (Informing, Understanding, Stimulating, Collaborating, and Collective Decision-making), and three overarching themes (Engage, Participate, and Empower). Analysis showed successful categorization of 436 methods and revealed a significant disparity in co-creation practices between researchers and practitioners. Conclusions The Co-Creation Rainbow framework provides a structured approach to evaluating and reporting co-creation processes. Acknowledging co-creation’s diversity, the framework aids in tailoring approaches for meaningful participation. By offering a unified language for diverse co-creation methods, the framework also facilitates transparent evaluation, enhancing the reliability and reproducibility of co-created public health interventions. Key messages • Employing a universal language across diverse co-creation methods is pivotal in fostering transparent evaluation, thereby bolstering the reliability of co-created public health interventions. • Effective collaboration of key stakeholders necessitates the use of suitable methods. By integrating diverse perspectives, public health interventions gain relevance, efficacy, and sustainability.

Public services as practices: towards a framework for understanding co-creation and co-destruction of private and public value

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of public services, a sound conceptualization of what they are is lacking. Following an analysis of research on public service logic, public value and practices, this paper proposes a public services as practices framework. This framework defines public services as bundles of shared public value co-creation practices that consists of templates and performances. While templates are designed to co-create public and private value, these types of value can be both co-created and co-destroyed during performances. The framework contributes by conceptualizing what public services are and how public and private value are co-created and co-destroyed through public services.

What is “Learning” in Serious Game Jams? A Systematic Literature Review

Game jams, events where participants collaboratively create games within a limited time frame, have gained popularity as engaging and educational activities. Numerous studies highlight learning as a significant motivator for participation, positioning game jams at the intersection of pedagogy, design research, and game studies. A systematic literature review (SLR) using the PRISMA 2020 method was conducted to explore the state-of-the-art in game jams and game-making co-creation practices amongst Cultural Heritage Institutions, Creative Industries, Higher Education Institutions, and Youth Citizens in the context of X project. Out of the 68 eligible sources, 10 explicitly addressed the learning goals associated with game jams and constitute the sample of this study. The present article focuses on exploring what conceptualizations of learning can be found in the sources and how that learning process was structured throughout the game jams; specifically, what participants are learning, the methodologies employed, and how the learning was measured. A comprehensive understanding of the educational potential of game jams is important for game jam organisers as well for formal, non-formal and informal Education. The results show that although some articles use game analysis or questionnaires to measure learning, these results are not analysed or presented in depth. Furthermore, it could be noticed that serious game jams, explicitly designed to teach something, usually featuring more time consuming, due to the specific nature of an added layer to game jam: a serious theme that needs to be learned by the participants but also reflected in a game for educational purposes. This underscores the potential use of (adapted) game jams to promote learning regarding social issues, culture, or science in an engaging and dynamic way. This article reflects on those processes and the different conceptualisations of learning that can be found in sources that tackle this topic with regards to Serious and Cultural Game Jams.

A Framework of Services-as-Practices

The idea of conceptualizing services as a type of discrete entity that are different from goods provided the initial conceptual foundation of service research. Today, this foundation has been denounced and replaced by the service-dominant logic (SDL), which suggests that service is a logic reffering to how resources are integrated by actors in order to cocreate value-in-use. However, researchers and practitioners still commonly refer to services as a type of discrete entity. To facilitate the understanding of services, this paper develops a services-as-practices (SaP) framework consisting of six propositions. Key to the SaP framework is the fact that services are conceptualized as bundles of value cocreation practices (VCPs). These VCPs are organized and recurring activities that are intended to cocreate value, but they can also codestroy (i.e., diminish) value when performed. The SaP framework contributes to service research by developing: (1) a novel conceptualization of services that realizes the long-lasting opportunity to understand services-as-activities, (2) a novel conceptualization of value that aligns theoretically with this understanding of services, and (3) the service research discipline as a whole. The latter contribution is accomplished by revising the notion of services as a type of discrete entity in such a way that a fruitful alternative perspective to focusing on service as a logic along the lines of the SDL is achieved. The SaP framework also provides practitioners with a novel perspective as regards understanding, managing, and developing services.

Collective customer-to-customer co-creation practices: Families with children with autism spectrum and airports

Collective customer-to-customer co-creation practices: Families with children with autism spectrum and airports

Fan and fantasy: investigating the impact of fantasy sports on sports fan identity

ABSTRACT Research question This study investigates the impact of fantasy sport on online sport fan identities. It explores the socio-psychological outcomes experienced by sport fans participating in fantasy sport and investigates their collaborative value co-creation practices. Research methods We use netnography to collect user comments across relevant subreddits. We further employ content analysis to identify the socio-psychological outcomes experienced by sport fans participating in fantasy sport and to gain insights into value co-creation practices within the fantasy sport community. Findings This study presents three significant findings. Firstly, it delineates BIRGing as celebration and trash talk and CORFing as disappointment, contemplation, and avoidance. Secondly, it introduces two new socio-psychological outcomes – FAGing and FARDing – encapsulating the dual identity of sport fans participating in fantasy sport. Third, it identifies three unique co-creation practices observed in fantasy sport communities – favoritism and subgrouping; sharing, supporting, and strategizing; and bragging. Implications This study contributes to our understanding of the impact of fantasy sport on the fan­ – team dynamic and the emergence of distinctive co-creation practices among evolved fans. From a practical perspective, the research has implications for sport managers and fantasy sport platforms, as fantasy sport serves as a powerful tool for engaging audiences of professional sport leagues.

A psychoanalytical approach in urban design: exploring dynamics of co-creation through theme-centred interaction

ABSTRACT Urban design practices are shifting towards inclusive co-creation processes to engage diverse stakeholders and create sustainable spaces. This paper explores co-creation dynamics in urban design using the theme-centred interaction (TCI) model from the field of psychoanalysis. Through a single-case study, qualitative and quantitative methods, balanced co-creation strategies are highlighted, empowering individuals, facilitating open dialogue, defining shared objectives, and considering external factors. This research extends literature by applying the TCI model, offering a novel lens and insights for effective co-creation practices in urban design. It informs future investigations and enhances stakeholder engagement, emphasizing a holistic approach.

Enabling and exploiting student expertise: the case of a Norwegian centre for excellence in education

ABSTRACT Student involvement has been advocated for and studied by educational scholars in recent years. Simultaneously, measures to increase student involvement have surfaced, such as the Norwegian Centres for Excellence in Education (CEE) initiative. This study explores how students, staff and leaders have experienced student involvement through a CEE in the Norwegian context by turning to sociological institutional theory, in which governance structures and change processes are interlinked. The Centre for Excellence in Music Performance Education (CEMPE) was run from 2014 to 2023, situated at a music academy characterised by privatised teaching culture and a master/apprentice teaching model. In this instrumental case study, primary data were collected from 18 semi-structured interviews with students and staff who had occupied management roles at CEMPE/the Academy. Interview transcripts were triangulated with secondary data in the form of strategic documents such as annual reports, action plans, minutes from steering group meetings, applications and publication lists. The data were coded with thematic narrative analysis, and four distinct narratives on student involvement were identified: (1) students as participants; (2) students as creators; (3) students as facilitators; and (4) students as consultants. The findings indicate that the involved students were both empowered and burdened through their work in the centre. The paid student positions, in particular, enabled students to develop qualifications that staff members and the Academy benefitted from and where students took the roles as facilitators and consultants. However, student expertise can be exploited if not properly supported and fostered, which makes co-creation practices crucial in higher education.

The Impact of Customer Perceived Value in the Contemporary Art Distribution Chain

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the role of customer-perceived value in the contemporary art distribution chain and its impact on value co-creation behavior, with the aim of how customer-perceived value affects the transaction and market value of artworks from creation to final sale. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the main concepts and theories that underpin the research are presented. Customer Perceived Value Theory, Value Co-Creation Behavior, Consumer Purchase Decision Theory, and factors influencing Customer Value Judgments stand out, providing a solid basis for understanding the context of the investigation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research involves a qualitative research approach, focusing on the exploration of customer perceived value in various aspects of art distribution and the mechanisms influencing value co-creation behaviors. The study selected ten industry insiders, including six primary market practitioners and four young artists. Through in-depth interviews, key information was summarized to clarify the mediating role of customers' perceived value in value co-creation behaviors and artwork prices. This qualitative method allows for a deeper understanding of the specific context of the contemporary art market, generating rich qualitative data to comprehend and explain the mediating role of customer perceived value. Its flexibility and adaptability enable the adjustment of research direction and focus based on findings, thus responding to the art market and investment strategies' variability. Results and Discussion: The results obtained revealed that customer perceived value plays a crucial role in every segment of the contemporary art market's circulation, from the artist's creation to the final sale and collection of the artwork. The act of collecting and holding artworks by collectors is an acknowledgment of the art's value, reflecting the positive impact of customer perceived value on value co-creation behavior. The study also indicates that customer perceived value is continuously enhanced through the process of value co-creation, thereby positively affecting customer value co-creation behavior. As more people recognize an artwork, its value correspondingly increases, suggesting that customer value co-creation behavior has a positive impact on the price of artwork, with customer perceived value serving as a mediating role. Furthermore, the possession of artworks by collectors with refined aesthetics and relative professionalism is itself a form of value co-creation behavior, enhancing public recognition of the artwork's value. When value co-creativity improves customer perceived value and promotes the artwork's appreciation, this behavior also positively influences value co-creativity. These conclusions unveil the interconnectedness between customer perceived value, value co-creation behavior, and market dynamics, providing insights into how contemporary artworks gain recognition and value through collective appreciation and engagement.In the discussion section, these results are contextualized in light of the theoretical framework, highlighting the implications and relationships identified. Possible discrepancies and limitations of the study are also considered in this section. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed, providing insights into how the results can be applied or influence practices in the field of contemporary art market and art valuation. These implications could encompass art market dynamics, artist and gallery practices, art investment strategies, and collector behavior. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by exploring the intricate relationship between customer perceived value, value co-creation behavior, and their impacts on art market pricing and art collection value through a qualitative approach. It offers a unique perspective on how digitalization and globalization are reshaping the contemporary art market, highlighting the dynamic interplay between these factors. The relevance and value of this research are evidenced by providing actionable insights for artists, galleries, and collectors on leveraging customer perceived value and co-creation practices to enhance the economic and cultural value of artworks. Additionally, it offers a framework for understanding the evolving dynamics of the art market, potentially guiding future policies and strategies in art management and valuation.

Psychosocial factors contributing to value creation in value-based healthcare: a scoping review.

Healthcare systems constantly evolve to improve care quality and resource utilization. One way is implementing Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) an economic approach. This scoping review aims to identify and describe the literature on VBHC, particularly its psychosocial aspects, to uncover research gaps. The review followed the PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews. We took the following 14 steps: (a) defining the research question; (b) identifying relevant studies; (c) selecting studies; (d) 15 mapping data; (e) collecting, synthesizing and reporting results. A detailed Boolean search was conducted from January 2021 to August 31, 2021, across APA PsycINFO and PubMed databases using keywords such as "Value-Based Healthcare" and "psychosocial perspective." Initially, three reviewers screened 70 e-records independently, assessing titles, abstracts, and full-text against the inclusion criteria. Discrepancies regarding the evaluation of the articles were resolved through consensus sessions between the reviewers. The final review included 14 relevant e-records in English from peer-reviewed sources, focusing on quantitative and qualitative research. From the analysis, four areas emerged: (1) Value chains in Healthcare; (2) Styles, activities, and practices of value co-creation in Healthcare; (3) Value co-creation in the encounter process; (4) Value co-creation in preventive health services. The scoping review findings suggest several potential key aspects, including the interdependence between patients and healthcare organizations, organizational culture in healthcare, and the role of patient-centered approaches that focus on relationships, communication, and social support in healthcare. This can be achieved through patient engagement, patient-centered care and communication, health literacy, psychosocial support services, comprehensive psychosocial assessments, care coordination, and continuity of care. Integrating psychosocial elements in VHBC enhances quality and optimizes resource use. Findings highlight the need to develop practical guidance on how to implement a culture of value in care that takes into account the psychosocial aspects that have emerged, but not fully addressed. The pandemic teaches that the workforce poorly receives sudden and unsystematic changes. This review could provide an initial basis for the redesign of value in healthcare and a paradigm shift that has already begun with patient-centered medicine and patient engagement.

A view through the looking glass: co-creation and innovation for student voice and wellbeing in distance education

This paper showcases innovative co-creation practice undertaken by a Student Voice and Wellbeing Group (SVWG) created in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport, Open University (OU). Ways of doing, seeing, being and believing student voice are discussed alongside the inception of the SVWG, sharing the whys and how's of its strategic approach and the depth and breadth of its student members′ participation. Underpinning this work is the concept that student voice and wellbeing are inextricably connected and are everyone's responsibility (Mander, 2021). The impactful student-staff partnership established through this model illustrates an authentic and dialogic practice that centres students as the drivers, rather than the passengers, for enacting change. As an artefact of innovative practice, the authors showcase a newly published bilingual digital student wellbeing handbook. This example is of interest to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) seeking innovative models for promoting marginalised voices through co-production. The authors′ reflections and recommendations invite policymakers to re-evaluate existing student voice and wellbeing strategies and practices.

Positive Pedagogies: Co-creation partnerships to support social and emotional learning in higher education

Student mental wellbeing is an area of concern within higher education, and there is increasing recognition that social and emotional learning has a role to play in supporting student mental wellbeing. This is particularly the case for mature and part time students, who, as outsiders in many traditional university settings, can experience feelings of isolation and a negative impact on wellbeing. This paper presents a study in UK higher education which applied humanisation and social and emotional learning as a theoretical framework to accompany a co-creation methodology, in order to develop resources to support the wellbeing of mature and part time students. This resulted in co-created resources for students and practitioners aiming to support Positive Pedagogies in higher education. Evaluation of the resources found the project had a two-fold effect on mature and part time student wellbeing and experience; it positively impacted on student co-creators’ SEL and overall experience and on student users as they associated an emotional connection with the resource because it had been developed by fellow students, which provided them with a greater sense of agency due to the voice given to the co-creators. Similarly, practitioners found that the guidance embedded wellbeing into teaching practice and encouraged the development of holistic skills such as emotional intelligence and resilience. This paper therefore concludes that the embedding of the humanising framework into co-creation practices can work to positively enhance the resultant emotional response and therefore positive wellbeing of students in a higher education setting.

How Can Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises Improve Green Innovation Performance through Innovation Ecosystems?

Under the fierce business competition and sustainable development pressure, the pattern of enterprise innovation has gradually changed from independent innovation to cooperative innovation. As a collection of multi-type innovation actors, the innovation ecosystem provides opportunities and platforms for cooperative innovation among government–industry–university–research institutions. While the present studies on innovation ecosystems are mostly from the perspective of the system level, few studies pay attention to the innovation mechanism of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) in the innovation ecosystem. Therefore, this study takes SMMEs embedded in innovation ecosystems as research objects and explores the factors affecting green innovation. We constructed a theoretical model to explain the effect of innovation eco-embeddedness on green innovation performance based on ecosystem theory and network embeddedness theory; we then collected 363 samples of SMMEs in China through surveys and further tested the data empirically. The results show that the innovation eco-embeddedness (IEE) of SMMEs has a positive effect on their green innovation performance (GIP), and their green value co-creation practices (GVCCPs) partially mediate the relationship between IEE and GIP. Moreover, ecological norms (ENs) in the innovation ecosystem not only positively moderate the impact of IEE on GVCCPs but also positively moderate the mediating role of GVCCPs. This study enriches the relevant research on innovation ecosystems from the perspective of non-core enterprises and provides a theoretical basis and practical reference for SMMEs to implement green innovation practices and realize growth through innovation ecosystems.

Agencement of onlife and phygital: smart tech–enabled value co-creation practices

PurposeIn this article, we reflect on how smart technology is transforming service research discourses about service innovation and value co-creation. We adopt the concept of technology smartness’ to refer to the ability of technology to sense, adapt and learn from interactions. Accordingly, we seek to address how smart technologies (i.e. cognitive and distributed technology) can be powerful resources, capable of innovating in relation to actors’ agency, the structure of the service ecosystem and value co-creation practices.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual article integrates evidence from the existing theories with illustrative examples to advance research on service innovation and value co-creation.FindingsThrough the performative utterances of new tech words, such as onlife and materiality, this article identifies the emergence of innovative forms of agency and structure. Onlife agency entails automated, relational and performative forms, which provide for new decision-making capabilities and expanded opportunities to co-create value. Phygital materiality pertains to new structural features, comprised of new resources and contexts that have distinctive intelligence, autonomy and performativity. The dialectic between onlife agency and phygital materiality (structure) lies in the agencement of smart tech–enabled value co-creation practices based on the notion of becoming that involves not only resources but also actors and contexts.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a novel conceptual framework that advances a tech-based ecology for service ecosystems, in which value co-creation is enacted by the smartness of technology, which emerges through systemic and performative intra-actions between actors (onlife agency), resources and contexts (phygital materiality and structure).

An Extensive Framework of Customer-to-Customer Value Co-creation Practices: A Study in a Running Event Context

This study investigates customer-to-customer value co-creation practices by adopting a customer-dominant logic. Data were gathered through observations of 5 running events in Vietnam, interviews with 17 runners, and netnography. Fifty-four micro-practices at the individual-, group-, and community-level were identified, and an extensive framework differentiating four distinct practice-based circles (blurred, self-organizing, open, and integrated areas) was formed to delineate the entire phenomenon. By enriching the understanding of customer-to-customer value co-creation within the broader context of customers’ lifeworld, the study lays foundations to advance this stream of research and offers insights for providers to step into and support customer-to-customer value co-creation processes.

Organizational practices to co-create value with family members engaged in service journeys of their loved ones

PurposeThe aim of this research is to provide insight into how organizations can co-create value with family members engaged in service journeys of customers experiencing vulnerabilities, thereby paying attention to their organizational practices (i.e. recursive or routinized patterns of organizational actions and behaviors).Design/methodology/approachTo investigate, this research relies upon a multiple case study in a group of nursing homes in Flanders that had the ambition to engage family members in service journeys of their loved ones while measuring their value perceptions as a performance indicator (here, satisfaction with nursing home services).FindingsThe case evidence shows that nursing homes co-create value with family members through caring practices that focus on their role as secondary customers (i.e. welcoming, connecting and embedding) and empowering practices that focus on their role as partial employees (i.e. teaming up, informing and listening practices). However, the way in which the different caring and empowering practices are enacted by the nursing home and its staff affects their value co-creation potential.Originality/valueBy focusing on the practices with which organizations can co-create value with family members engaged in service journeys of their loved ones, this research bridges the service literature with its attention for value co-creation practices and the literature on customers experiencing vulnerabilities with its focus on extended customer entities.

Innovación social para la conservación de prácticas textiles-artesanales basados en gestión de conocimiento y educación intercultural

Social innovation is a strategy for solving problems in community settings that integrates the cooperation of different participants to promote better conditions. This article aims to identify how co-creation practices promote the conservation of artisan textile knowledge through knowledge management and interculturality in social and educational spaces in the municipality of Nobsa - Boyacá, Colombia. In this, a descriptive investigation was privileged, for which there was a population of textile artisans and students of an educational institution of the municipality. The instruments used were the focus group technique and surveys to obtain data related to particular social aspects of the community under study. Social, educational, and business spaces were created using living laboratories that allowed the search for social alternatives to the problems encountered. As a result, a knowledge management model was obtained, based on the Nonaka and Takeuchi (1994) model, which responded to the research objectives, contributing to the reduction of acculturation of textile practices on a local level.

Student Co-Creation of Open Textbooks: Reflections on Power Dynamics and Building a Sense of Belonging in Higher Education

Despite calls for social justice and inclusion in higher education, there is still growing structural inequality in terms of access to education, which extends to structural and economic oppression of marginalised groups. Student inclusion in design, creation and evaluation of curricula is lauded in research as essential for student belonging, with open textbook production as one way in which student co-creation is being explored. Yet, little work has been done to look at the challenges involved when traditional power dynamics are disrupted in partnering with students. Highlighting the collaborative endeavours that lecturers undertake with students in open textbook production and the challenges therein, this paper draws on Yuval-Davis’ (2011) work on student belonging and Fraser (2005) on social (in)justice, to explore the nexus of three complementary themes: open textbooks, students as partners, and student belonging in higher education. Data were derived from a set of interviews conducted with three open textbook authors at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on their efforts to foster co-creation practices with students in their classrooms as part of open textbook initiatives. Findings reveal that student co-creation of open textbooks has the potential to shift, or at the very least tilt, power balance and give students agency. Academics who undertook open textbook production with student co-creators respected students’ expertise and in turn, students felt a sense of value in their departments, which enabling a sense of belonging. We highlight how the reality of student co-creation is complex as academics have the intention to shift the traditional power dynamics between lecturer and student; however, examples here show this kind of transformation is gradual and continuous and often difficult to implement when the institutional culture remains hierarchical.

A servant perspective of leadership and knowledge co-creation process for IT/IS exploration-exploitation innovation in the B2B enterprise context

PurposeThis study aims to build an integrated model for information technology (IT)/information system (IS) team exploration and exploitation innovation in the business-to-business (B2B) enterprise context by empirically investigating the mediating role of tacit-explicit knowledge co-creation and exploring the behavior approach of servant leaders for IT/IS team exploration-exploitation innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors' analysis was supported by 182 enterprise-IT/IS teams (403 participants) in Taiwan. The authors used a questionnaire and Structural Equation Model (SEM)-SmartPLS to validate the development model. This study examines IT/IS exploration-exploitation innovation using a combination of quantitative survey research and qualitative case studies.FindingsThe specific roles of direct and mediating effects for two innovations of IT/IS team exploration and exploitation were investigated. The findings show a direct effect of knowledge creation (tacit and explicit) on IT/IS team exploration-exploitation innovation. Servant leader behavior positively influences tacit-explicit knowledge co-creation practices, IT/IS team exploration and exploitation. Moreover, knowledge creation (tacit and explicit) successfully mediates the correlation between servant leaders and IT/IS team innovations (for exploration and exploitation).Practical implicationsManagers, IT/IS consultants and enterprises at the executive level are suggested to encourage knowledge co-creation practices, both tacit and explicit to support their IT/IS team innovation. The greater the degree of explicit knowledge (i.e. socialization and internalization) and tacit knowledge creation (i.e. externalization and combination), the greater will be the opportunities for meeting the enterprise-IT/IS team exploration and exploitation innovation goals. The project manager may follow servant leadership behavior to promote effective knowledge co-creation process on the IT/IS team.Originality/valueThis effort contributes to greater and new understanding of how ambidexterity capability, tacit-explicit knowledge co-creation (mediators) and servant leaders for IT/IS team exploration-exploitation innovation in the B2B enterprise context and new foundations for future studies on a cross-enterprise IT/IS team. This research is also the first empirical effort to understand how a servant perspective leadership contributes through the knowledge co-creation process for IT/IS exploration-exploitation innovation.

Co-creation Processes and Urban Digital Twins in Sustainable and Smart Urban District Development - Case Kera District in Espoo, Finland.

In the context of climate change mitigation, calls for methods that can facilitate co-creative practices and processes between different stakeholders in the development of sustainable and climate-neutral urban districts have been increasingly expressed in recent years. This has included calls for collaborative, accessible, transparent and open tools that can facilitate urban development processes and engage different stakeholders in the different phases and stages of an urban district development process towards shared targets on sustainability and emission reduction. In this paper, we present and examine two practical tools, 1) a co-creation model for developing positive energy district (PED) solutions, and 2) a digital twin tool for shared data sharing and collaboration, which were developed and utilized recently in two development projects focusing on Kera district, Espoo, Finland. The Kera district is a current brownfield area, which, since the early 2020s, has been undergoing a transformation from a former industrial and mass logistics area into a future mixed-use urban district with significant emphasis on sustainability and circular economy targets. We utilize actor-network theory (ANT) to explore the human and the non-human actors and their interrelations related to the district's development. Additionally, we seek to understand the networks that emerge within both the co-creation process and the virtual urban digital twin environment and the role these tools have in supporting the formation and facilitation of multi-stakeholder co-creation networks. Finally, we aim to examine the advantages and disadvantages of integrating a regional urban digital twin and the urban co-creation process to enhance sustainability in urban development projects.