DUT AGORA Strategic Dialogue 11th April

Strategic Dialogue Empowering Urban Futures: Bridging Policy, Innovation, and Local Action

In times of crises and socio-economic challenges, bridging efforts between civil society initiatives, urban activists, and policy makers is paramount. Beyond short-term relief, sustained collaboration is essential for urban transformations. This workshop delves into the transformative potential when municipalities, researchers, and grassroots initiatives converge, exploring both successful and challenging experiences in urban settings. 

The format for this AGORA will be highly participatory, involving a series of informal café conversations around our 3 core questions. You will be moving between groups of up to 8 people. In each café session you will be sharing your insights from your observations, experiences and research of the challenges and potential of collaboration between different players in urban settings. 

08:30	Registration opens
Introduction	Connection Making A short session exploring experiences of grassroot initiatives in urban environments you are familiar with    DUT Strategic Dialogue Overview of the purpose and process for this AGORA and how the conversation this morning will help to inform future initiatives.
Café #1	Local Initiatives Driving Change You will be sharing examples of transformative change through collaboration between municipalities, researchers and grassroots initiatives. You will use this information to address the question of “How might we establish an ecosystem for multi-stakeholder urban transitions”.
Café #2	Policy Evolution through local action  You will be sharing your examples of where policymakers have been able to draw insights from grassroots initiatives and experiments to foster urban transformations? You will use this information to address the question of “How might policymakers learn from local actions and activities?”
10.45	Break
Café #3	Funding Innovation You will be sharing examples of how research and innovation funding has been used to creatively drive forward urban transformation. You will use this information to address the question of “How might European programmes overcome the traditional models of funding to better facilitate grassroots initiatives”
Plenary	Sharing Insights In a final session you will get to hear insights from different tables about how we might better empower urban futures through supporting collaboration between all the different urban players.
12:00	Lunch break Lunch is provided with more opportunity to network and engage with other urban practioners