City of Lund Urban Lab Workshop 3
About the event
In early December 2019, Urban Lab Lund organised their third workshop which gathered 29 participants from local, regional and national stakeholder organisations and members of the innovation platform Future by Lund.
A dynamic group of people working in public administration, universities, businesses, and cultural organisations came together to create and design new possible scenarios regarding the development of the cultural and creative sector in the upcoming years for 6-10 next years in Sweden.
What will the conditions be in the future for people to be creative and innovative?
Will there be fertile ground for critical thinking and provocative actions?
What is valued most – that we are motivated by what is meaningful and gives value beyond ourselves or to seek efficacy and immediate results?
The participants first analysed which factors were critical and would affect the behaviour and mindset. In a second phase, each group created two possible scenarios and described which critical events could lead to either of them. The final presentations and ensuing discussion were highly appreciated by the participants. In the following months, many of the participants said that they had a much more sensitive inner “radar” for picking up signs of changes. It enabled them to think more strategically on a broader societal level beyond their own organisation.
Background
The City of Lund’s approach to their Urban Lab takes the role of municipality and policymaker. The Urban Lab is led through the city’s innovation platform Future by Lund. The platform includes representatives of the municipality, the university, business incubators, culture organisations, innovation actors, creative hubs, and companies.
Urban Lab Lund is working to test, explore and develop methodologies and processes to increase cooperation between city institutions and organisations working with and supporting creative semi-professionals aged 16-30 for the benefit of their target group.
To address the challenge, Urban Lab Lund is utilising the following methods: surveys and collection of facts, coaching and facilitation of key stakeholders, value-driven methodologies, multi-stakeholder engagement, participatory decision-making processes, developing and testing prototypes, scenario planning, and long-term thinking.