Co-creation for the Implementation of SDGs in a French Municipality

SDG 17 is all about strong partnerships and cooperation and is required for the achievement of all other SDGs. In that sense, collaborative policymaking is an important target for local public organizations in the European region. The case of Venelles, France, shows how sustainable practices can be promoted through the inclusion of local stakeholders in decision-making processes. As the smallest of only a handful of municipalities in France, in early 2021 Venelles has decided to co-create a local 2030 Agenda hand in hand with its inhabitants. Under the name of "Venelles in Transition," a series of workshops has been initiated, aiming to identify the SDGs that are important for the inhabitants and develop concrete propositions for their implementation. The aim is to analyze the co-creation process and discuss the following question: to what extent could co-creation spur the local implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals? As opposed to the paradigms structuring the public sector today, co-creation has participation and openness at its core and therefore breaks with established approaches to policymaking. Due to it being so different from existing decision-making processes, it requires public managers to master new skills. However, numerous obstacles remain and must be overcome, while activating the numerous drivers, to fully implement co-creation. This chapter aims to shed light on these elements through the example of "Venelles in Transition."