Laryssa Tarachucky

Laryssa Tarachucky is a Brazilian architect, urbanist, researcher, and innovation strategist working at the intersection of participatory design, civic innovation, public policy, and urban transformation. Her work investigates how collaborative design processes, civic media, community technologies, and participatory infrastructures can strengthen democratic participation and support more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient cities.

With more than a decade of experience in research, innovation, and territorial development, she has designed and implemented participatory methodologies, public innovation frameworks, and community-centered tools across academic, governmental, and civil society contexts. Her work combines theory and practice to address complex urban and societal challenges through collaborative governance, citizen engagement, and the co-creation of public value.

She is the Scientific Director of Instituto Cocidades, a transdisciplinary organization dedicated to advancing civic infrastructures, participatory governance, and urban innovation in Latin America. She also leads research and strategic projects through Urban IxD, focusing on participatory planning, territorial innovation, and civic engagement.

Previously, she coordinated LabIC Novale, a citizen innovation lab linked to the Novale Innovation Hub in Southern Brazil, where she developed and tested methodologies for citizen participation, collaborative governance, and ecosystem activation. Her contributions include the creation of citizen innovation methodologies, incubation programs for civic initiatives, digital participation platforms, and capacity-building processes connecting communities, governments, universities, and industry partners.

Laryssa is currently a Collaborating Professor at the Post-Graduate Program in Knowledge Engineering and Management (PPGEGC) at the Federal Unobersoty of Santa Catarina. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of São Paulo, investigating sustained public participation in the design of community technologies and civic innovation processes.

She has collaborated with universities, innovation agencies, municipalities, and international networks, including the UNESCO-UNEVOC I-Hubs initiative, where she served as Regional Coordinator for Southern Brazil. Her work has involved partnerships with public institutions, research organizations, and local governments across Brazil, contributing to innovation ecosystems, territorial development strategies, and participatory policymaking.

Her current research agenda focuses on participatory design, metadesign, civic media, urban interaction design, creative cities, living labs, territorial innovation, and community technologies. She is particularly interested in how participatory infrastructures can enable collective action, civic learning, and long-term social transformation, as well as how citizens can continuously participate in shaping the technologies, policies, and urban futures that affect their everyday lives.