The workshop was prepared by the city's representative in the UNIC Alliance, Agata Burlińska, and Dr Mariusz Sokolowicz, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz, leader of WP3: Engaging with Cities, Communities and Stakeholders, which assumes collaboration with the city. The goal of the workshop was to identify the actual needs of our city, which are reflected in the policies and strategies of Lodz. The second stage of the workshop was aimed at identifying opportunities for cooperation between the city and the University of Lodz as part of the UNIC thematic lines.
Dr hab. Mariusz Sokołowicz, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz, explains:
The first objective of the meeting was to develop a list of ten key challenges that can be solved with cooperation between the local government of Lodz and the academic community of the University of Lodz, as part of the engaged research initiative. This list includes issues such as the integration of socially excluded groups (migrants, seniors, people with disabilities), fostering the commitment of Lodz inhabitants to activities aimed at adapting to climate change, promoting social diversity and confronting spatial chaos. It will be used to compare the specific problems of Lodz with the challenges of other UNIC Alliance cities and to develop a list of future research conducted at the University of Lodz, whose results may be used by city management practitioners.
More important, however, is the second goal we have set for ourselves, i.e. enhancing cooperation between individuals dealing essentially with the same issues. Even though some do it as university employees and others as city government employees, they all strive for the same goals: building urban resilience in the face of climate change, strengthening diversity and encouraging social entrepreneurship, as well as building a creativity culture and cooperation for safety and quality of life in Lodz. I feel convinced that creating a network of relationships at meetings such as today's will result in specific joint research projects to solve actual problems of our city.
Agata Burlińska, Deputy Director of the Urban Activity Office, talked about benefits of the meeting between the representatives of the city and the University of Lodz:
Post-industrial cities such as Lodz face unique challenges, the solution of which requires the cooperation of many environments. The valuable knowledge and skills of scientists from the University of Lodz are an extraordinary resource for our city. We hope that the combination of everyday practice of the City of Lodz Office employees and their detailed knowledge of Lodz and the world of science will let us develop innovative solutions.
Challenges identified during the workshop will be compiled in the form of a repository of key challenges for the city and ideas for solving them (the so-called Local Engaged Research Roadmap), which is the result of activities undertaken in WP3.
Source: International Hub
Photos: Urban Activity Factory