The networking session “Social and cultural innovation for sustainable cities: a myth or reality?” is organized by ENoLL  in cooperation with both the Directorate General for Research & Innovation (DG RTD) and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (EASME) of the European Commission.

The event held at the World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi, the UAE is based on a human-centered approach: cities are considered innovative if they improve the hard and green infrastructures (public spaces, natural areas, cultural heritage etc.) while supporting and nurturing local soft skills (diverse cultures, expertise, talents). Innovation is assumed at the intersection of social, cultural, governance, technological and environmental domains. It will be held on Tuesday 11 February from 14:00 – 16:00 (in Hall 3: Room 18).

The session focuses on co-creation actions to design and implement R&I agendas in cities and is structured around three main discussion clusters:

1. Living Labs: fostering co-creation and citizen engagement for sustainable urban regeneration

2. Heritage Labs: promoting circular and inclusive adaptive re-use of cultural heritage

3. Capacity-building Labs: enhancing heritage as a resource for international cooperation

Three key questions will then lead the discussion:

1. How are cities transforming thanks to the support EU Research & Innovation is giving to social innovation in both urban design and planning?

2. Are cultural heritage and circular economy two sides of the same coin when it comes to inclusive adaptive re-use?

3. To what extent heritage -led innovation can be an instrument for international cooperation?

The session will be highly interactive: short pitches from EU funded R&I projects (Horizon 2020) will introduce the main challenges for each of the three discussion clusters. ENoLL will presented EU funded project UNaLab which tackles the development of Nature Based Solutions in different European cities, using the Living Lab methodology. Within the project a serious educational game has also been developed which will be showcased. Moreover, keynote speakers will have a debate facilitated by a moderator who will also stimulate a wider discussion with the participants and collect questions from the audience.

The session will bring together policy-makers and community-based partners, scientists, living labs experts, innovators from different European and international contexts that are participating in Horizon 2020 projects or working in close collaboration with them. They include representatives from International Organizations, Global Networks, universities and UN HABITAT.

The session is the second step of an existing collaboration between ENoLL, DG R&I and EASME. The main conclusions will be brought to the next ENOLL edition of the Scaling up City Challenge (fall 2020) and will contribute to future EU R&I priorities for sustainable cities.

The following speakers will be involved in the discussion:

• Philippe Froissard, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission
• Maria Yeroyanni, Senior Expert, Directorate-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission
• Zsuzsanna Bodi, Director, European Network of Living Labs
• Arnoldas Milukas, Head of Unit, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), European Commission
• Wim de Kinderen, City Representative, City of Eindhoven; Vice President, European Network of Living Labs
• Ugo Guarnacci, Project Adviser Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), European Commission
• Cathy Oke, Chair of the Environment Councillor, City of Melbourne
• Ania Rok, Governance & Social Innovation Coordinator, ICLEI
• Emanuela de Menna, Project Adviser Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), European Commission
• Laura Petrella, Leader, City Planning, Extension and Design Unit, UN Habitat
• Alya Youssef Mohamed Sabry, URBN Cairo, Egypt