Food for Thought: Streets of co-creation

Schuif aan bij de twee-maandelijkse live lunchbijeenkomst van het Kenniscentrum FDMCI en CoE Creative Innovation, voor onderzoekers, docenten en studenten. Diverse sprekers praten je bij over onder andere actueel onderzoek, nieuwe inzichten en hun lessons learned. In deze editie van Food for Thought staan vormen van gemeenschap centraal – van buurtcoöperaties en stadstuinen tot commons en digitale deelplatformen.

De voertaal is Engels.
The event will take place in English.

How can residents, designers and researchers come together to build inclusive, healthy and engaged urban communities? This edition of Food for Thought puts the spotlight on community in all its forms – from neighbourhood cooperatives and urban gardens to commons and digital sharing platforms.

We’ll explore how design, participatory research and digital infrastructure can foster meaningful ways of living together. Whether it’s a shared garden, a community app or a local currency, it all begins with creativity and collaboration.

With insights from three thought-provoking projects, we’ll connect physical and digital practices – and invite you to join the conversation: what’s your place in the community of the future?

What to expect?

All three contributions explore how communities can take an active role in shaping their urban futures—whether through storytelling, policy innovation, or technology. By bringing these perspectives together, we open up a vital conversation about inclusive, locally rooted approaches to sustainable change.

Mapping Imaginaries: Encyclopaedia of the Bijlmer
Researcher Núria Arbonés Aran shares insights from this long-term participatory project. In this digital encyclopaedia, residents and community members document their own stories, knowledge, and imaginations of Amsterdam Zuidoost. The result is a unique perspective on alternative knowledge creation, placing local voices at the centre.

Creating Actionable Futures (CrAFt)
Andrew Switzer presents this international project, part of the New European Bauhaus movement. How can cities become climate-neutral, inclusive, and beautiful? Through local partnerships, creative interventions, and learning pathways in cities like Amsterdam, Bologna, and Prague, CrAFt explores new governance models to shape sustainable urban futures.

Technology and the Community Economy
Iskander Smit demonstrates how technology and design can support grassroots initiatives such as car-sharing schemes, community energy projects, and cooperatives. Using creative tools like design charrettes and prototyping, he investigates how digital platforms can foster local ownership and strengthen collaboration.

Speakers

Andrew Switzer
Project Manager, CRAFT & Senior Lecturer, Urban Management

Andrew Switzer is a senior lecturer and researcher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, where he leads work on metropolitan governance and urban sustainability. As project manager of the EU-funded CrAFt project under the New European Bauhaus initiative, Andrew focuses on helping cities adopt sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetic approaches to urban transitions. His research explores innovative, locally-driven governance strategies and creative methods that support climate-neutral cities, with recent work in Amsterdam, Prague, and Bologna.

Núria Arbonés Aran
Programme Initiator, IVCF & Senior Lecturer, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Originally from Barcelona, Núria Arbonés Aran brings an international and interdisciplinary perspective to urban and cultural studies. With a background in Catalan Philology and a PhD in Urban Studies, she is the driving force behind the International Virtual Consulting Firm (IVCF), which links students to real-world challenges in European cities. Her research spans city marketing, place identity, and cultural representation, with a focus on balancing rapid urban change with reflective, long-term thinking.

Iskander Smit
Researcher, Civic Interaction Design, HvA

Iskander Smit is a researcher at the Civic Interaction Design group at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. His work explores how digital technologies can support the community economy—ranging from neighbourhood cooperatives to car-sharing initiatives and energy collectives. As intelligent technologies increasingly shape our environments, Iskander uses creative methods such as design charrettes, research through design, and prototyping to investigate how local ownership and collaboration can be strengthened through thoughtful design. His focus is on developing new tools and narratives that promote civic goals in a complex digital age.