Blog Scriptum Multiplicities

European societies have been exposed to growing crisis since February 2020. Climate change, pandemic and recently the war in Ukraine challenge us to rethink our lives in cities. Questions of solidarity, neighborhood help and social participation require alternative spaces for live, work, production, education, meeting and culture.   

We believe that reaching out to local initiatives, regional policy makers and international academics engaged in city innovation measures is important at this time. We are aiming at becoming more sensitive to how to collaboratively create the next urban. We foresee three stages of dealing with this crisis:

Phase one will be the co-development of urgent medical and practical equipment to help save lives. We also address relevant social, digital and urban infrastructures that help in these times. Phase two will be the development of secondary equipment, material infrastructures, shelters and small-scale interventions to cope with unexpected threads over longer periods. Phase three will be the co-development of tools, infrastructures and services to restart the urban economy and develop a resilient collaborative ecosystem after the global shock of the pandemic and in the midst of war on fossil resources. 

The following key themes connect those engaged with Co-Governance, Co-Creation, and understanding the role of collaborative niches for urban development. We believe in the idea of coworking and cocreation as key topics for building new urban productive city blocks as societies seek new formula for making a good living worldwide.

The following key themes connect those engaged with Co-Governance, Co-Creation, and understanding the role of collaborative niches for urban development. Blog editors are Dr. Steve Harding (Birmingham), Susy Silva (Lisbon) and Dr. Bastian Lange (Berlin/Leipzig).

Foto: Mai Anh Ha

Of reclaiming freedom of mobility and speech as egocentric action.

Berlin and the first of May have a special history and relation. The Covid-19 pandemic induced restriction of public speech, demonstrations and individual rights – which challenged this relation a lot. Since imposed state sanctions of demonstration bans have started to be loosened since 11 of May 2020, a paradoxical situation occurred, as Mai Anh Ha reports.

Author: Mai Anh Ha, Researcher at Multiplicities-Berlin

Foto: Bastian Lange

Berlin: Coping with the Corona-crisis – experimenting with small-scale solutions

What can we learn during Covid-19-pandemia from Berlin as a city, that is known for its experimental attitude? Bastian Lange argues for small scale attempts how to cope with the crisis. What is needed, and how can creative labs generate ideas and solutions to improve our lifes?

Author: Dr. Bastian Lange, Urban and Economic Geographer, University of Leipzig.

Foto: Dr. Steve Harding

Business not as usual – Immediate responses by three Birmingham Enterprise Support Organisations

For Birmingham (UK) three organisations are highlighted to give a snap shot of responses highlighting actions and approaches.

Author: Dr. Steve Harding, Birmingham City University (BCU)

Foto: @colectivo_patio

Lisbon: 14,000.605

Lisbon: The last few weeks have changed the outlook – from Lisbon as an eco -system full of physical meetings and face to face creativity into a new reality. How can we begin to re-think our entrepreneurial future? Susy Silva gives a personal reflection on dystopia and how we can begin to find new beginnings.

Author: Susy Silva