Young City Makers
#Workshop #SpeculativeDesign #ParticipatoryDesignWhen: Oct-Nov 2021
Project Context: Client Project (Public programme)
With: Humankind and El Desafio Foundation
Role: Freelance Speculative Designer and facilitator
Responsabilities: Design and facilitation of speculative design sessions; Support during the overall program; Supporting youngsters in developing final interventions.
Output: Young City makers manifesto + Weekly workshop outputs+ 3 final interventions deployed in the city of Rotterdam.
Young City Makers is a program in Rotterdam to empower the next generation of city makers using a participatory speculative design to stimulate alternative scenarios for the future of Rotterdam The program consisted of weekly meetings during 5 weeks + final design sessions to co-create an intervention in the city. Each week I helped with the Reflection sessions where together we explored, imagined and speculated alternative futures for our cities, and in specific, for Rotterdam.
During these sessions we borrowed from participatory and speculative design methods to reflect on 5 different themes (URBAN YOUTH, GROW UP!, NEXTNATURE, LIVING TOGETHER, WHO RUNS THE CITY?). We created several different scenarios and had quite some insteresting reflections. We created stories, we appropriated the city through collages, ideated on food futures using trends and signals, asked people in the street about their dreams and fears for the future, prototyped more-than-human futures with thrifted materials and our joint reflections were synthesised on the Young City Makers Manifesto.
During these sessions we borrowed from participatory and speculative design methods to reflect on 5 different themes (URBAN YOUTH, GROW UP!, NEXTNATURE, LIVING TOGETHER, WHO RUNS THE CITY?). We created several different scenarios and had quite some insteresting reflections. We created stories, we appropriated the city through collages, ideated on food futures using trends and signals, asked people in the street about their dreams and fears for the future, prototyped more-than-human futures with thrifted materials and our joint reflections were synthesised on the Young City Makers Manifesto.
