From Consultation to Co-Creation: How to Engage Citizens Effectively in Climate Change Adaptation Activities—The Case of Sosnowiec

Climate change adaptation requires governance approaches that actively engage citizens in developing resilient urban environments. However, public participation in adaptation planning often remains limited to consultation, with little influence on decision-making. This paper examines how participatory processes can evolve into genuine co-creation and identifies which participatory methods are most effective for urban resilience co-creation. The study aims to identify the key success factors for effective citizen engagement in climate change adaptation based on the results of implementing ecosystem- and community-based adaptation concept. A qualitative case study in Sosnowiec, helping city authorities design effective climate change policies, was conducted in the framework of Urban Living Lab established within the CICADA4CE project. The participatory process involved different stakeholder groups from the quadruple helix, with a particular focus on contributions from young and senior citizens. The paper proposes a citizen co-creation framework that conceptualises participation as a continuous, competence-driven process, emphasising sustained capacity-building as a prerequisite for meaningful civic engagement. Drawing on empirical evidence from Sosnowiec as a post-industrial city in Central and Eastern Europe, the paper contributes to the literature on participatory climate governance by demonstrating the potential of citizen co-creation to strengthen locally grounded climate adaptation in medium-sized cities.