Co-Creating Our City

Building the project team ​

Your project team does not need to be big, but it needs to have sufficient capacity for workshop facilitation and logistics as well as some experience with social research and data analysis. Think about who you need on your project team to manage the following responsibilities:

  • setting up the project timeline
  • managing the budget for your project
  • developing and carrying out a plan to recruit young people and city leaders as co-researchers
  • designing the workshop structure and content
  • onboarding co-researchers, both young people and city leaders
  • scheduling and facilitating workshops, including managing group dynamics
  • training co-researchers on how to conduct social research (e.g., how to conduct surveys, observations, interviews, or focus groups in their communities)
  • designing data collection tools (e.g., questionnaires, observation protocols, or interview or focus group guides) and conducting data analysis (of quantitative data, qualitative data, or both)
  • summarizing results and making them accessible
  • engaging co-researchers in dissemination and impact activities
  • assessing and managing risks, including ethical standards and data protection

If you have all these skills yourself, you could run the project and bring in help from colleagues or temporary staff to facilitate workshops and logistics at events.

If you do not possess all these skills, consider adding team members who can support you with either project management, workshop facilitation, communication, or the research process and data analysis.

Case study: Team set-up in 'Co-Creating Our City' pilot projects in Charlotte and Düsseldorf

For the pilot project in Düsseldorf, SCI:MOVE and d|part took on all project management and communication with city partners. The team designed and conducted the workshops and research work. The City of Düsseldorf and the Jugendring Düsseldorf provided staff time to support the recruitment of participants and coordinate workshops and events. In addition, the Jugendring Düsseldorf provided staff time for the preparation of workshops as well as rooms to meet.

For the pilot project in Charlotte, the team consisted of a part-time project lead with support from city staff. GMF staff provided off-site support for recruitment and workshops, primarily for logistical tasks such as ordering catering and materials. d|part and SCI:MOVE team members provided content development support, much of which is available in this toolkit for customization. On occasion, interns added capacity for workshops and data analysis.

Reflecting on the limited capacity in the team in Charlotte, team members might also be drawn from other organizations or governmental agencies. For your project city interns, university students, or university-based researchers in social or behavioral sciences could add additional capacity for workshops, survey management, and administrative support such as photocopying and workshop set-up. An administrative support person at the city, similar to the setup in Düsseldorf, could also provide some of the support.

At the start of your project, you may also want to take time to think about how your team will collaborate and stay aligned over the course of the project. Think about the following issues:

  • How you can achieve alignment and clarity on your project's objectives?
  • What your individual team members need to achieve these objectives?
  • How you might structure your team to coordinate and get work done?
  • Who makes decisions and on which questions (based on, e.g., hierarchy, competence, or expertise)?
  • What infrastructure and collaboration tools are needed for your team to work together (e.g., communication, file sharing, digital or project management tools)?
  • Which different needs and perspectives are represented in your project team and what your team's blind spots may be?