What Is Possible to Achieve Within Two Years?
Many professionals within the built environment have asserted that two years are simply not enough for meaningful urban transformation. The consensus suggests a minimum of four years—and sometimes even that proves insufficient.
Nevertheless, at BLOXHUB, we gave ourselves precisely this two-year timeframe to experiment with the New European Bauhaus approach to urban transformation. We undertook this challenge through our project DESIRE—Designing the Irresistible Circular Society. Our approach involved engaging with eight different urban renovation and transformation projects across Denmark and other European countries, inviting them to apply an alternative methodology based on values and principles such as aesthetics, belonging, biodiversity and movement, whilst documenting outcomes throughout the process.
As we have reached the conclusion of this period, a crucial question arises: What have we achieved in the last two years?
Firstly, we gained rich insights that have resulted in a genuine shift in mindset. At Gadehavegård in Høje-Taastrup, Domea.dk discovered that by involving both architects and citizens at a very early stage in designing renovation projects, they achieved a significant qualification of both the tender programme and of themselves as professional stakeholders. This approach will markedly improve the feasibility and reliability of future renovation projects.
Secondly, our experiments led to the development of a cohesive transformation guide alongside concrete and accessible tools and methods. Whilst some of these tools are completely new, others are well-established. However, the contextual stories framing their application anchor these guidelines and tools in local contexts, providing inspirational power and potential for reenactment and application beyond their original settings. Narratives prove essential when seeking inspiration and aiming to learn effectively.
Thirdly, a comprehensive field guide and scientific publications form important stepping stones for those wishing to test what we have achieved. We must be honest: complete urban transformation projects cannot be fully realised within a two-year timeframe—but two years are indeed sufficient for embarking on an experimentation journey. The next step is to implement what we have learnt, and continue to adjust and develop further. BLOXHUB will fulfil our role by maintaining full access to all outputs and learnings through our dedicated website: www.irresistiblecircularsociety.eu
Connect with the DESIRE community by completing the contact form at www.irresistiblecircularsociety.eu/connect. You will then receive updates on events and activities based on our experimentation and learnings.
FACTS
DESIRE was funded by the European programme Horizon Europe and is one of six New European Bauhaus lighthouse demonstrator projects. DESIRE has been operated by BLOXHUB in collaboration with 23 organisations from six different European countries. In Denmark, experimentation activities have been conducted in Kalundborg, Gadehavegård and Herlev.