Why cities need economic intelligenceThe economies of Europe’s cities are changingfast, and it is not easy to predict which segmentsof the local economy will grow and which oneswill decline. Yet, cities must make decisions as towhere to invest, and face a number of questionsthat are difficultto answer:Where dowe putour bets? Should we go for biotech, ICT, or anyother sector that may have growth potential?Do we want to attract large foreign companies,or rather support our local indigenous smallerfirms, ormustwe promotethestart-up scene?Or is it better not to go for any particularindustry but just improve the quality of lifein the city, hoping that this will help to retainskilled people and attract high tech firms?
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In the recent ‘Regional outlook’, the OECD (2014) convincingly argues that cities can be the drivers of national growth and recovery: in principle, their diversity and density makes people and companies more productive and innovative. This is not only a tale of large cities: over the last decade, as recent studies demonstrate (e.g. Dijkstra, 2013) many smaller and medium-sized cities across Europe were important economic engines. But this did not happen automatically: to make that happen, ‘getting cities right’ is the key challenge, and action on the city level matters! As demonstrated by recent OECD data (OECD, 2014), poorly organised cities fail to reap their economic potential.
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Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on personal, social and societal life worldwide. The virus threatens the physical health, social contacts and financial and economic security of many. The pandemic has led to polarisation in society, to an increase in social inequality, to a threat to democratic rights and to international tensions. Social work has not been left unaffected either. Based on research conducted by the Centre for Social Innovation of HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht Netherlands and financed by ZonMw, a concise ethical manual was developed for social professionals in crisis situations. It contains a series of questions for reflection that can be used to make the most important ethical challenges explicit and to take action. The guide is also suitable for carrying out a brief ethical review, as it were, individually or collectively, in the hectic day-to-day work.
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Restoring rivers with an integrated approach that combines water safety, nature development and gravel mining remains a challenge. Also for the Grensmaas, the most southern trajectory of the Dutch main river Maas, that crosses the border with Belgium in the south of Limburg. The first plans (“Plan Ooievaar”) were already developed in the 1980s and were highly innovative and controversial, as they were based on the idea of using nature-based solutions combined with social-economic development. Severe floodings in 1993 and 1995 came as a shock and accelerated the process to implement the associated measures. To address the multifunctionality of the river, the Grensmaas consortium was set up by public and private parties (the largest public-private partnership ever formed in the Netherlands) to have an effective, scalable and socially accepted project. However, despite the shared long term vision and the further development of plans during the process it was hard to satisfy all the goals in the long run. While stakeholders agreed on the long-term goal, the path towards that goal remains disputed and depends on the perceived status quo and urgency of the problem. Moreover, internal and external pressures and disturbances like climate change or the economic crisis influenced perception and economic conditions of stakeholders differently. In this research we will identify relevant system-processes connected to the implementation of nature-based solutions through the lens of social-ecological resilience. This knowledge will be used to co-create management plans that effectively improve the long-term resilience of the Dutch main water systems.
Het World Economic Forum constateert dat wicked problems zijn uitgegroeid tot polycrisis . De eerste reactie bij de waarneming en adressering van polycrisis is om in de gevestigde orde, het bestaande regime, te zoeken naar veranderruimte. Echter, de systeem feedback zoals hierboven is beschreven is een indicatie dat de wereld niet meer trouw is aan de imperatieven en routines van het bestaande regime . Conventionele ‘command and control' strategieën leveren geen adequate response om de polycrisis het hoofd te bieden . De veranderruimte bevindt zich buiten het bestaande regime. Voorbeelden daarvan zijn de tegendruk die economische grondbeginselen in het bestaande regime ondervinden vanuit niches: De economische groei gedachte ondervindt tegendruk in postgroei ideeën; het vrije markt principe wordt gecontrasteerd met een de commons beweging, en de extractieve economie wordt uitgedaagd door regeneratie. Uit de kantlijn van de samenleving, door experimenterend ondernemen, worden impulsen afgegeven voor een transitie naar een nieuwe economie. De theorie spreekt over niches die impulsen afgeven voor een transitie naar een nieuwe economie en kunnen doorgroeien in emergentie. Niches, of Small Wins, hebben het potentieel een systeem in beweging te brengen. Small Wins kenmerken zich onder meer door hun radicale vernieuwende praktijk . Small Wins, of niches, zijn essentieel in het versnellen van de transitie, ze zijn de werkplaatsen waar de nieuwe economie gaandeweg ontstaat. De niche praktijk is echter vaak impliciet en wordt als dusdanig niet herkend als essentiële versneller voor de transitie. Dit onderzoek beoogt impliciete ontwerpprincipes van werkplaatsen voor de nieuwe economie in kaart te brengen, te duiden en te delen zodat de transitie naar een nieuwe economie kan worden versneld. Consortium partner: De Groene Afslag Aanvullende partners: Schumacher Lab NL, De Hoorneboeg Changemakers: Joline Jolink, Bodemzicht ‘t Gagel, Oud Terra Nova Critical friend/kennispartner: DRIFT
The increasing concentration of people in urban environments in an era of globalisation means that social, economic, and environmental resources for living and working are under pressure. Urban communities experience increased stress levels due to inadequate and overburdened infrastructure and services, challenges due to ethnic and cultural diversity, socio-economic inequalities as well as the impact of environmental degradation. For these communities to build resilience under these circumstances therefore requires a multipronged approach. The underlying question this project will answer is: “What are the key characteristics of experiencescapes that contribute to resilience-building in communities?” The project will dive into the identification of building blocks of experiencescapes and roles of relevant actors that can support communities in building resilience. Within the context of a multidisciplinary approach, this project applies a range of qualitative research methods, such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observation, storytelling techniques, life stories, as well as various biometric quantitative methods, available through the experience lab of BUas. The outcome of the project will enable practitioners and researchers alike in various sectors to understand what and how they can contribute to creating an environment in which people can meaningfully interact in a way that builds resilience in communities. This outcome is communicated not only through academic publications and conference contributions, but also through public reports and a handbook for practitioners and students. These reports and handbooks support identification and application of building blocks of experiencescapes that support building resilience in communities. Finally, the knowledge generated in the project will contribute to the development of curricula of various educational programmes at Breda University of Applied Sciences by expanding the scope of experience design into the area of people-to-people relationships.
