Co-creation in the public sector for developing health-promoting activity spaces in local communities: a qualitative study of stakeholders’ experiences

Co-creation is increasingly being applied in the public sector. Yet, there is limited knowledge of how stakeholders experience participating in public sector-driven co-creation. To gain in-depth insights into this, group interviews were conducted with 56 stakeholders involved in the co-creation of activity spaces across six municipalities. The results illustrate three trade-off situations that emerged during the process: iteration versus solution, innovation versus convention, and flexibility versus planning. The findings emphasize the importance of balancing these trade-off situations for beneficial co-creation processes to achieve optimal results. Success requires joint reflection and continuous communication among all stakeholders.