Purpose This study aims to analyse value co-destruction and co-creation, charting avenues of progress from the former to the latter over a long time period. The urban regeneration of Medellín (Columbia) through collective service design is used as a case study. Design/methodology/approach This investigation takes a systemic perspective and uses a multimethod, qualitative approach. Data collection took place over a 20-year period from a range of primary (interviews with a range of actors involved in Medellín’s urban regeneration, onsite observation) and secondary (content analysis) data sources. Findings Due to the efforts of certain key actors, Medellín has been transformed from a city marked by the violence of the drug cartels into an innovative and creative city. These engaged actors have succeeded in reversing processes of value co-destruction, replacing them with those of value co-creation. Research limitations/implications This paper shows the importance of examining value co-creation and co-destruction processes over long timescales and taking in multiactor and multilevel micro-, meso- and macro-perspectives. Practical implications This research highlights the importance of conceptualizing cities as complex service ecosystems constituted by many-to-many interactions. It also shows the necessity for urban regeneration of identifying a city’s relevant subsystems as well as those actors that are key to rethinking public and private service exchanges. Originality/value This work provides a novel overview of how value co-destruction can be transformed into value co-creation in service ecosystems.
Norberto Muñiz-Martínez (2026) studied this question.