Cast your mind back a couple of months: supermarket shelves void of hand-sanitiser, batteries and, of course, toilet paper. As we made preparations to go into the unknown, a ‘survival instinct’ was awoken in us, inspiring us to stockpile. Some experts claimed that our fascination with toilet paper was a way of regaining control over our lives, which we understandably crave in so-called unprecedented times. But the impact of the pandemic on our consumption habits goes much further than not having to buy loo-roll for the rest of the year. …
There is no doubt that coming out of strict lockdown has been incredibly beneficial for our wellbeing. Over the last few months, we have seen massive rises in domestic violence, loneliness and stress, to name just a few. So, the period we are transitioning into now is, I’m sure, a massive source of relief for millions of people worldwide, even if it’s just because your family is driving you mad.
However, this phase presents its own challenges, how can we manage this transition without compromising public safety and the health of others? Is social distancing here to stay? …
Governments and private organisations have been taking never-before-seen measures to track and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Data plays a massive part in this; everything from the widely discussed contact-tracing apps to the management of hospital resources is being meticulously tracked in an effort to combat this virus.
There is no doubt that reliable, up-to-date information is critical to our ability to solve complex, time-sensitive challenges. However, the proliferation of technology-enabled ways to track us, our movement and our behaviour leaves us with some questions. Who actually owns our data? How much individual freedom are we trading for healthcare security? …
Trust as a social phenomenon; The rigidity of blockchain; The increasing complexity of technology;
We close the week with a chat on trust, blockchain, the role of technology in society, and much more, with Andrea Bauer — innovation consultant, futurist, and strategist on digital media. Andrea founded BEAM Innovation Studio and co-founder D.DAY Network. She is also the author of The Crypto Economy and Trusting in Mobile Payment. You can follow her on Twitter. On our side, we brought Thomas Walker and Miguel Coutinho.
Have a great week.
Thomas: Thank you so much for joining us today, Andrea. It’s going to be really great to have a chance to have this chat with you. As you know we’re going to structure this conversation around trust. So for the past two decades or so, even more, we’ve been kind of abstracting certain functions of our real-world experience into the digital world. This reduces friction but also introduces us to new risks. As you’ve done a lot of work in this space around trust in digital payments and cryptocurrencies, we’d kind of like the focus on this; it’s potential and, as I said, the risks moving forward. …
The importance of Solidarity; Cultural policy; The role of the creative community in times of crisis.
For our second interview, we invited Philippe Kern, founder and managing director of KEA European Affairs, a research centre specialised in advising territories and organisations on culture policy since 1999. He has authored numerous studies for European and national institutions on culture, copyright, culture and creative industries as well as audiovisual policies notably The Economy of Culture in Europe and The Impact of Culture on Creativity. His latest book, The Future of Cultural Politics, is really worth a read. You can follow him daily on Twitter. On our side, we brought Thomas Walker and Rui Quinta.
Enjoy.
Thomas: First of all, Philippe, thank you so much for taking some time to chat with us today, it’s really exciting to get your perspective on these topics. To get started, we’d like to hear your definition of culture and its importance in the development of the European project. …
Unbundling the Safety Net; Entrepreneurship in uncertain times; Differences between Europe, China, and the USA;
If you have followed us in the last couple of days, you noticed that we launched Transformative Times, an exploration of how interconnected systems are shaping and changing our ways of living. Besides a participatory study, we are kicking off this initiative with a series of interviews with people who, we believe, can help us understand the current context and explore where we might be heading next.
For our first one, we invited Nicolas Colin, a co-founder of The Family, author of Hedge: A Greater Safety Net for the Entrepreneurial Age, and creator of the newsletter European Straits. You can follow him daily on Twitter. …
In February 2019, while Luís, Henrique, and Thomas were working on the strategy for our rebranding, they shared an idea for a journal of speculative strategy. Called Transformative Times, this digital place would allow us to speculate about anything that interested us, individually and collectively. It was the perfect fit for a time when we wanted to get out there and seek solutions for the problems we care about, without having to ask for permission or waiting for the right project. …
Written by Miguel Azevedo Coutinho and Luís Medeiros.
How tackling a nation-wide challenge was made possible through deep immersion, machine intelligence and designing with people.
A century-old challenge.
There have been some attempts — with the first national initiative dating back to 1926 — to stimulate land registry across the country. Big plans of action, large investments. Some advancements below Tejo river, but little results on the north of the country, precisely where the biggest risk of fires exists.
So, when we were invited by the State Secretary of Justice to join a project team that would tackle the century-old challenge of nation-wide rural land registry, an issue that gained priority on the governmental agenda following the aftermath of the biggest and deadliest fire to ever occur on national territory and something that has eluded governments and private enterprises for ages, we kept our cool, professional poses (this is the government, after all) and quickly accepted the challenge. …
Everybody was comparing Lisbon to all this brilliant cities so, therefore, we decided to do the same in order to provoke Lisbon to Define Lisboa.
It was clear for DMEI-CML (Direcção Municipal Economia Inovação — Câmara Municipal de Lisboa), they knew that what existed didn’t reflect the real dimension and potential of Lisbon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. New concepts were emerging and it was a matter of time before other players, who couldn’t fit the existent “space”, popped up at their doors. Besides that, they aimed for more… Well, we all did! Starting with a small but relevant detail, the word that described this particular ecosystem (ENTREPRENEURIAL) and that we try so hard to pronounce, needed a deep refresh. This special “space” (THE ECOSYSTEM) needed a real identity and useful digital tools that could be aligned with what the future was holding for the city of Lisboa. Why? …
Week 9
The post-its are off the wall!
We reached the finish line! This is the end of this project!
We spent this last week tying up some loose ends and preparing an awesome presentation of the whole process! Our Google Slides skills are at a peak, and we are seriously considering using it as our main design software from now on (#not).
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