What is a free double category like? (Q5957779)

Double categories are part of the menagerie of higher-dimensional algebra. Introduced in the 1960s by Ehresmann, they form an important class of higher-dimensional categories. In this paper the authors describe the free double category on a double reflexive graph. The description given would seem to be of interest both for its combinatorial content and for its potential links with rewriting theory and concurrency in theoretical computer science.