Workshop day #1

Today the workshop opened at the Gothenburg City Hall, where all ten teams will be working in one big space throughout the workshop. The media was present at the opening and our team leader Mette was interviewed by Swedish television (SVT4). Morning and afternoon was spent brainstorming, discussing and sketching around our team table. Our new working motto is: "Think big - Start small - Scale fast". Late afternoon/evening was spent sailing up and down the river, getting an overview of the city.

Some impressions from today:

Today's work:

Planning our own work process during the days of the workshop. Using the 'innovation diamond' - and be able to handle divergence and covergence to get to target. Each day we should reach one 'conclusion' - and publish this. Next day will build on the conclusion from yesterday and work toward a new target, and so forth...

Discussing the key words headlining the workshop "inclusive - green - dynamic". (summary to be published to blog tomorrow morning)

Discussing the importance of thinking about the big perspective, but also having ideas for what can be done in a very short time.

"Rivercity Gothenburg. Starting Monday!!" Today the main problem of Gothenburg is segregation, on a social as well as a psysical level. We will focus on finding the voids in the city and patching them. The key is to find the right kind of patch -  a new quality for the area, which should cater for the inclusive, green and dynamic strategy hand-in-hand. In time the neighbouring areas should claim ownership to the patches, the new urban spaces or institutions, and transform them into a hybrid, unique for just that place. The patches will become new meeting places transforming Gothenburg from segregated places to a close-knit carpet!

Looking at the rivercity from a large perspective - mapping the infrastructure, the water ways (streams), the recreational areas and finally the voids, the new potentials. We looked at the possibility of making a new infrastructural circle around the central rivercity. This also makes our main target areas the Frihamnen (Free Harbour) north of the river and Sheppsbroen south of the river. Tomorrow we will be looking at how to work with these areas - in a short and in a long time perspective.