From connect to co-create to change
At the ECTP Conference 2026 in Brussels, Syxis presented its vision of co-creation as a practical methodology to support the transition towards a more sustainable, regenerative and inclusive built environment.
Our contribution was rooted in a simple but powerful idea: meaningful change happens when the right people are connected, empowered to co-create, and enabled to transform ideas into action.
This approach reflects our core philosophy: Connect, Co-Create, Change.
Rather than considering co-creation as a participatory exercise added at the end of a project, we see it as a structured process capable of generating innovation, building trust, and creating long-term value for communities and territories.
Cultural Heritage: the original co-creation process
One of the key messages shared during the conference was that cultural heritage itself can be understood as humanity’s longest-running co-creation project.
Historic neighbourhoods, vernacular architecture, traditional construction techniques and local practices are not static assets preserved in time. They are the result of generations of communities continuously adapting, learning and solving problems together.
From this perspective, heritage is not merely something to protect. It is a methodology that teaches us how communities can collectively shape their environment over time.
Co-creation therefore is not a new concept. It is the conscious recovery of a process that has always existed and that can help us design more resilient and regenerative futures.
Local knowledge as a driver of innovation
Regenerative development requires a deep understanding of place. However, this understanding cannot be generated through data alone.
Communities possess forms of knowledge that are often invisible to conventional planning processes:
- Craft knowledge, accumulated through generations of practical experience;
- Social memory, preserving the history and evolution of places;
- Ecological literacy, developed through everyday interaction with local ecosystems.
These forms of knowledge represent a powerful innovation resource.
Co-creation provides the framework to identify, collect and transform this knowledge into actionable insights for design, planning and decision-making processes.
By involving citizens, local actors and stakeholders from the earliest stages, projects can better respond to real needs while strengthening ownership and long-term impact.
Designing with communities, not for communities
Co-creation is supported by a combination of structured methodologies, digital tools and speculative design approaches.
The objective is not simply to gather opinions but to create environments where stakeholders can actively contribute to identifying challenges, generating ideas, evaluating solutions and shaping future scenarios together.
This approach reflects a regenerative vision of development, where humans are considered active participants within interconnected social and ecological systems rather than passive users of the built environment.
The role of design therefore evolves from creating isolated solutions to creating the conditions for positive co-evolution between communities and their environment.
ReBoat: a use case of co-creating
The ReBoat project provides a concrete example of how co-creation can become an operational methodology.
The initiative aims to activate local ecosystems involving citizens, schools, SMEs, public administrations and tourism actors in a collaborative effort to transform waste into opportunities while retaining value within the local territory.
The process follows a structured co-creation pathway:
Engagement
The first step consists of bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders and creating opportunities for dialogue and participation.
Through neighbourhood committees, local events and community outreach activities, participants contribute to identifying local challenges and untapped circular opportunities.
Co-Ideation
Once challenges are identified, communities are invited to generate ideas and proposals.
Open calls, workshops and collaborative activities allow citizens and stakeholders to contribute artistic, social and functional solutions responding to local needs.
Co-Design
Selected ideas are refined through technical support, training activities and collaborative design sessions.
This phase ensures that community aspirations can be translated into feasible and impactful solutions aligned with the project’s technological capabilities.
Co-Production
Finally, prototypes and pilot actions are developed and tested together with the community, creating tangible outcomes and reinforcing local ownership of the process.
In this way, co-creation becomes more than participation: it becomes a mechanism for collective innovation and capacity building.
Digital tools enabling collaboration
To support these processes, Syxis has developed Kartu, a digital co-creation platform designed to facilitate collaboration both synchronously and asynchronously.
The platform enables idea collection, challenge-solution matchmaking, collaborative feedback, evaluation processes and structured decision-making.
Digital tools do not replace human interaction. Instead, they expand participation opportunities and help make collective intelligence visible and actionable.
Imagining futures together
Another important dimension of co-creation lies in the ability to collectively imagine alternative futures.
Through speculative design methodologies, communities are encouraged to explore “what if” scenarios that challenge current assumptions and expand the horizon of possibilities.
Future-oriented thinking strengthens resilience because it helps communities develop trust, adaptability and shared aspirations before challenges emerge.
Collaboration therefore becomes not only a tool for solving today’s problems but also a way to prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Co-Creation as a driver of systemic change
For us, co-creation is not a project activity but a way of working.
Through strategic matchmaking, circular innovation processes and co-learning initiatives, we help organisations, communities and value chains build the connections needed to generate lasting impact.
The experience shared at ECTP Conference 2026 confirmed that the most effective solutions emerge when diverse actors are empowered to think, design and build together.
This is the essence of our approach:
Connect the right people.
Co-create solutions together.
Making real change happen.