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.