Yes, we can, intervene!

In the fourth section of Social Engineering in the Amsterdam Metropolis all came down to the ‘can do’ mentality of the students. In this section the participants were asked to sketch different future scenario’s on their case and to identify the necessary ingredients and drivers which ultimately make their interventions autarc and sustainable.

Here are some of the scenario’s for intervention sketched during the the presentation last week:

The students of the Overhoeks/van der Pek case presented their plans for a floating market on a canal which is at the moment nothing more than a physical barrier between the two neighbourhoods they are researching. The intention is to transform this physical barrier on the basis of an economic relationship into a place were people can meet and participate.

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The students from the ‘Addicted to the City’ case presented their plans for what they called a ‘street closet’. The intention is to set up a ‘barter closet’ on a central location in Amsterdam Noord. The closet will ideally be run by (homeless) people from the neighbourhood. Through a small barter exchange system (you can take something, whenyou bring something) were people, on the one hand, can come for fundamental necessities such as clothing and food, and on the other hand get information about living on the street and the people it concerns, the group intends to bridge the gap between the homeless people and the surrounding neighbourhood through information and facilitation.

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‘Doing Green’ is the third case of the program. The students research focuses on how to bring about participation for the newly developed Noorderpark in the neighbouring districts. From neighbourhood meetings to interviews and existing practices this ‘wishtree’ was one of the research results.

Their intervention focuses around the idea of a huge picnictable in the park. The table will most probably be build in cooperation with the local community.