We had the pleasure of presenting and engaging in meaningful discussions around GREENGAGE at this year’s Open Living Lab Days, held from September 25–27, 2024, in Timisoara, Romania. The event themed “Driving systemic change through Soci(et)al Engagement, for real impact” provided a platform to connect with researchers and practitioners passionate about engaging diverse stakeholders, rapid prototyping, testing and collective learning for innovation action.
GREENGAGE View on Ethical Considerations
One of the highlights was our partner Julia from KWMC, who was invited to speak at the public event on Smart Communities: AI, Digital Transition, and Social Change. Julia brought to the forefront some of the ethical considerations that guide our work on GREENGAGE Observatories, addressing an audience that included local policymakers, city representatives, and academics from across the globe.
The panel, moderated by a representative from the Brainport Eindhoven EU Office in Brussels, and featuring key voices from Porto Digital, Turino City Lab, Polytechnic University of Timisoara, and Open & Agile Smart Cities & Communities (OASC), focused on how cities can ensure digital innovations are inclusive – benefiting all citizens, especially marginalized groups, rather than exacerbating existing inequalities.
A key takeaway from the discussion was the importance of arts, culture, and storytelling as vital tools in driving inclusive, data-driven urban transitions.
GREENGAGE Persona Cards Inspiring Storylines
Another exciting moment was during a training session for Living Lab practitioners, where Julia and Clara from KWMC tested a prototype of our Persona Cards. These cards, still in development, aim to help planning agents become more empathetic toward diverse groups they need to engage with while setting up GREENGAGE Observatories.
The session yielded valuable feedback, which will help us refine the tool as we prepare it for publication in the GREENGAGE Academy. Persona Cards will play a pivotal role in helping planners create storylines to connect with local communities, businesses, policymakers, and other stakeholders in addressing the pressing challenges we face.
Towards the GREENGAGE Innovation Ecosystem
Our colleagues from KWMC also led a workshop titled “Whose sensing? – Inclusive Citizen Science with Arts Practices”, where we presented our approach to creating an Innovation Ecosystem of interconnected yet distinctive Observatories.
Here, we introduced the concept of Situated Experimentation, an adaptation of the Bristol Approach on Citizen Sensing. This model focuses on using arts and citizen science to drive localized innovation, engaging communities in meaningful ways to shape their own urban environments.
This year’s Open Living Lab Days reinforced the power of collaboration, empathy, and creativity in shaping urban innovation. We are excited to continue our work on GREENGAGE, inspired by the conversations, feedback, and shared vision for creating more inclusive, equitable cities.
