Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DESIRE (Designing the Irresistible Circular Society)
Período documentado: 2022-10-01 hasta 2023-09-30
Designing an Irresistible Circular Society (DESIRE) aims to create an alternative way forward for the built environment supporting the EU mission of ‘100 climate-neutral and smart cities’. Against seemingly insurmountable challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion we need to rethink our approach to finding solutions. Departing from architecture, design and art we will create an open learning environment with principles, methods and guidelines to support us in designing an irresistible circular society.
We will present a DESIRE lighthouse demonstrator, built on insights and learnings from on-site demonstration activities taking place at sites in Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, and The Netherlands, encompassing various themes and scales. Three themes have informed our choice of sites and partners. ‘Creating social and inclusive housing’ addresses the need for inclusive processes, ‘the power of we’, in circular transformation of social housing. ‘Reconciling cities with nature’ is about designing livable habitats and functional ecosystems from a multispecies perspective while rebalancing ‘land use’ to accommodate resource generation and biodiversity. ‘Transforming through symbiotic relationships’ focuses on how to optimize use of materials flow when rethinking urban landscapes in cities.
In depts on-site demonstration activities, testing a set of specifically designed and co-created DESIRE principles to support transition at local level, will unfold in each of these sites. It will lead to tangible transformations plans, programs and projects that bring evidence of the value that New European Bauhaus creates. The tools and methods applied are being gathered in a toolbox that will support future users of the DESIRE principles in actions towards an irresistible circular society. A Digital Learning hub forms the platform for gathering and sharing knowledge, providing access to practitioners and scaling the value of DESIRE. Universities with expertise within design, creativity and architecture are involved in assessing, analysing and communicating the learnings achieved through the transformation activities.
By this, we will set the foundation for a school of thought and practice, and establish a scaling framework for widespread learning across the EU utilizing digital infrastructure, stakeholder involvement and empowerment across a partner community of European cities, youth organisations, NGOs, academia etc.
We will present a DESIRE lighthouse demonstrator, built on insights and learnings from on-site demonstration activities taking place at sites in Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, and The Netherlands, encompassing various themes and scales. Three themes have informed our choice of sites and partners. ‘Creating social and inclusive housing’ addresses the need for inclusive processes, ‘the power of we’, in circular transformation of social housing. ‘Reconciling cities with nature’ is about designing livable habitats and functional ecosystems from a multispecies perspective while rebalancing ‘land use’ to accommodate resource generation and biodiversity. ‘Transforming through symbiotic relationships’ focuses on how to optimize use of materials flow when rethinking urban landscapes in cities.
In depts on-site demonstration activities, testing a set of specifically designed and co-created DESIRE principles to support transition at local level, will unfold in each of these sites. It will lead to tangible transformations plans, programs and projects that bring evidence of the value that New European Bauhaus creates. The tools and methods applied are being gathered in a toolbox that will support future users of the DESIRE principles in actions towards an irresistible circular society. A Digital Learning hub forms the platform for gathering and sharing knowledge, providing access to practitioners and scaling the value of DESIRE. Universities with expertise within design, creativity and architecture are involved in assessing, analysing and communicating the learnings achieved through the transformation activities.
By this, we will set the foundation for a school of thought and practice, and establish a scaling framework for widespread learning across the EU utilizing digital infrastructure, stakeholder involvement and empowerment across a partner community of European cities, youth organisations, NGOs, academia etc.
The activities are performed in three succeeding phases: a 6-month preparatory phase, a 12-months demonstration phase and a 6-months concluding phase. The preparatory phase defines a manifesto, co-creates a set of principles to be tested and sets a framework for monitoring, assessment and learning. During the demonstration phase the eight territorial sites test the principles in concrete co-creation activities along with documenting learning in learning-by-doing and learning-by-interacting approaches. The concluding phase analyses the outcomes of the activities and present them in two major reports, a white paper ‘Narratives on Irresistible Circular Future’ focusing on the DESIRE principles, and ‘Innovation Biographies’, a collection of auto-biographies presenting reflections on learnings and interactions, seen from the perceptive of the territorial sites.
Knowledge and learnings will be shared at the DESIRE Digital Learning Hub which will be the centerpiece for interaction across and beyond the involved organisations and sites. The exploitation of results connects with DESIREs role of supporting the EU mission of ‘100 climate-neutral and smart cities’. With a newly established Irresistible Cities Lab we aim at creating a community for cities to test and exchange on new approaches on citizens and enagement and reducing legislative barriers, based on the DESIRE principles and learnings obtained from testing. To support the long-term exploitation further, a financial plan is developed for each of the eight territorial sites to support the implementation and long-term impact of the transformation plans and projects developed in DESIRE.
Knowledge and learnings will be shared at the DESIRE Digital Learning Hub which will be the centerpiece for interaction across and beyond the involved organisations and sites. The exploitation of results connects with DESIREs role of supporting the EU mission of ‘100 climate-neutral and smart cities’. With a newly established Irresistible Cities Lab we aim at creating a community for cities to test and exchange on new approaches on citizens and enagement and reducing legislative barriers, based on the DESIRE principles and learnings obtained from testing. To support the long-term exploitation further, a financial plan is developed for each of the eight territorial sites to support the implementation and long-term impact of the transformation plans and projects developed in DESIRE.
DESIRE, the activities it frames, the experiments and testing of principles, tools, and approaches, is expected to have a direct and positive impact on the local communities involved, and particularly in relation to a transformation of the built environment and the ways in which people live and interact. The ‘Narratives on Irresistible Circular Futures’ and the ‘Innovation Biographies’ are anticipated to have a potential long-term benefit for cities in Europe and beyond by presenting the vision, the principles and key learnings for further uptake and use. The collection of results and learnings at the Digital Learning Hub will demonstrate an operationalization of the NEB triangle and is expected to be of relevance for the EU cities mission in the longer run. Finally, the long-term implementation of the outcomes of DESIRE (the transformation plans, programs and projects) is foreseen in the scaling framework focusing on establishing a financial strategy and plan, including a timeline, that identifies financial streams for implementing the DESIRE outcomes.
It is expected that certain elements would need emphasis to ensure further uptake and success. For instance, some of the demonstrations may need further iterations to present scalable values in a broader context. Second, regulatory frameworks at city level may represent an area where needs for further actions are required. Changing regulatory frameworks require a longer time period than what is available in DESIRE.
It is expected that certain elements would need emphasis to ensure further uptake and success. For instance, some of the demonstrations may need further iterations to present scalable values in a broader context. Second, regulatory frameworks at city level may represent an area where needs for further actions are required. Changing regulatory frameworks require a longer time period than what is available in DESIRE.