#UrbanSolutionChallenge: Our cities, our future

Schermafbeelding 2015-11-12 om 17.22.48On Wednesday October 28; Arcadians from 13 big urban cities around the globe were invited to brainstorm on ideas for the future of the cities they live in. The Arcadians have been challenged to come up with innovative ideas & solutions for the question that matters to millions on a daily basis; how to create livable, safe, resilient and sustainable future cities?


In other words: how can we lead less stressful lives in the cities we live in? This challenge is part of ‘Urban October’, an initiative by UN-Habitat to remind the world that we all have responsibilities towards the future of our cities and towns, and we can play a role in shaping.

My role as a Global Shaper Ambassador was to encourage my colleagues to take part in the workshop and to provide support for the organizers. Share my ideas online before and during the workshop via social media, so we can create a real 24-hour buzz!

Taking part in this challenge was very appealing to me; as a Londoner’s first, a traffic engineer second and as a Global Shapers ambassador. London is a beautiful metropolitan, it has a lot to offer, it is a very international city, it has a very special dynamic, and it can offer a vibrant life style. As much as this extraordinary city can offer, it can be very stressful and challenging for living, working, and traveling most of the time.

London Workshop was fun and interactive,35 colleagues from across three Arcadis offices in London office took part in the challenge, they shared their ideas and expertise on the subject. The focus was on three workflows: Resilience, mobility and regeneration. Several challenges were mentioned such as; Housing affordability, employment locations, and pressure under the current infrastructure.

Schermafbeelding 2015-11-12 om 17.16.41We also had the opportunity to learn about the Arcadis Shelter Program, and the Arcadis partnership with UN-Habitat. We learned about our colleagues experience during his Shelter mission to Nepal.

The five most relevant ideas have been collected from the workshop attendees; and the ideas representatives were challenged to come up with an elaborative proposal for their ideas. The proposal can be submitted as a drawing, images or as a written description. Eventually, all input and workshop information from the 12 cities will be collected and included in the New Urban Agenda workshop book. The book will be presented to the UN-Habitat and also available on World Urban Campaign Website.

It has been a very interesting experience, to hear people sharing their thoughts, and being creative! Imagine if everyone around the globe thinks and act the same, simple things could eventually make our cities better!

Dima Fadda
Global Shapers 2015
London – United Kingdom

@Dipalsver

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