Purpose This study aims to investigate how stakeholder cocreation in 3D city mapping initiatives can extend the role of digital urban platforms beyond administrative efficiency toward the negotiation and enhancement of place attractiveness. Drawing on a participatory case study of Trollhättan, Sweden, the paper explores the needs, expectations and aspirations articulated by diverse stakeholder groups regarding collaborative 3D mapping, and examines how these perspectives, when enacted through cocreation processes, shape and negotiate place attractiveness in small- and mid-sized cities.

Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an abductive case-study design, integrating the social construction of technology (SCOT) theory, participatory design and place attractiveness research into an analytical framework. Primary data were generated through eight cocreation workshops involving 32 participants across five stakeholder clusters in Trollhättan. Data were analyzed using a three-step thematic coding process of open, axial and selective coding, supported by a coding matrix linking empirical themes to theoretical constructs. The case-study approach enables contextualized understanding of complex socio-technical dynamics in a small- and mid-sized city context.

Findings The findings show that stakeholders interpret the 3D map not merely as an administrative visualization tool but as an evolving socio-technical platform through which diverse needs, expectations and aspirations are articulated and place attractiveness is negotiated and coproduced. Across six themes, stakeholders articulated diverse expectations related to visualization, usability, data integration, real-time responsiveness, civic dialogue and temporal representation. These interpretations reflect distinct technological frames shaped by stakeholders’ institutional roles and lived experiences. The analysis demonstrates that identical technical features acquire multiple meanings, activating different dimensions of place attractiveness. Consequently, collaborative 3D mapping functions as a participatory infrastructure in which urban value is continuously negotiated, extending place attractiveness beyond static representations toward dynamic, socio-technical engagement.

Originality/value The study makes three contributions. An integrated analytical framework combining SCOT, participatory design and place attractiveness research is developed to explain how stakeholder cocreation on digital urban platforms shapes multiple dimensions of place attractiveness. Place attractiveness theory is advanced by introducing a temporal dimension, arguing that attractiveness in digital contexts spans past, present and future rather than reflecting present-state evaluations alone. Finally, participation is reframed not as input preceding design decisions, but as an ongoing process in which urban meaning is continuously negotiated within, and partly constituted by, the platform itself.