At Storbykonferansen 2022 we split our four tracks into three sessions, where the first two were ordinary paper presentations, and the third was organized as table-talks, where groups of participants discussed «ways forward»:
Conflict and cohesion in urban research – what now?
Contributors and audiences sat together and work-shopped ideas for «a way forward». Based on discussions in the two previous sessions, they identified key points (i.e. future tasks, solutions, challenges and/or opportunities) for creating new arenas to productively engage with conflict in cities. These points are presented below.
Track 1: Governance and planning: Main questions for the future
- Is conflict productive or counterproductive in political processes of climate/sustainability transformation?
- Do representative democracy need to be complimented, deepened and broadned?
- What other forms of democracy can handle climate/sustainability – conflict and cohesion?
- How to include social sustainability in climate change policies?
Track 2: Architecture and urban design: Main approach forward
- Caring about…
- Caring for…
- Caring with…
Track 3: Grassroots and activism: Main challanges
- Challenges of trust between grassroots movements and government structures/politicians etc.
a) Shrinking of democratic space of understanding of complexity issues and positionality of other groups
b) Authorities’ perspectives on grassroots movements shapes interaction and understanding of positionality
- Challenges of grassroots movements’ use of social media
a) Fake news untrustworthy sources
b) Vulnerability for misuse
c) Solution? Checks and balances to social media
- Empowering grassroots activism
a) Unifying grassroots actors
b) Tolerance for more diverse positions to strengthen grassroots movements
Track 4: Art and creative practice: Way forward*
- POTENTIAL: Creating space for questioning, reflecting and exploring
- CHALLENGE: Bound by a relationship to time dominated by efficiency and the demand for solutions to pre-defined problems
- WAY FORWARD: Re-define (and problematize) impact
* Artistic practice cannot solve the world’s problems in and of itself, but it can broaden our perspectives and thereby also broaden our scope of action