Many cities all over the world have established collaborative district and neighbourhood management models with a large variety in organisational and legal models as well as in the missions and types of actors involved. 

In essence, collaborative governance supports the cooperation of different actors from public bodies, research, business and civil society, so that shared responsibilities can be defined and joint action can be agreed to tackle problems and solve them locally. Collaborative governance arrangements in urban development touch upon topics such as co-production, governance mechanisms for stakeholder coordination, district management & joint urban planning. 

Zorrotzaurre is currently the largest urban regeneration project in Bilbao. The regeneration, led by the Bilbao City Council, will convert a semi-abandoned and decaying industrial area into a new centre of living, working and enjoying, where culture and creativity can go hand in hand with innovation and social innovation. Thanks to the strong legacy of temporary uses in Zorrotzaurre and the long-standing involvement of several agents, the pilot shows many opportunities for advancing novel forms of territorial governance rooted in collaboration and shared decision making. 

The aim of the report is to foster a critical discussion about possible outlines of a collaborative governance model for the island and district of Zorrotzaurre. This will contribute to building a strong urban ecosystem in Zorrotzaurre and to strengthen collaboration between its many different actors.

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