Infrastructure is essential for a thriving economy and society.
Bridges, roads, dikes, and quays make our daily lives possible: young and old travel to school, visit family, shops, work, and play sports thanks to our infrastructure. This same infrastructure, however, is under pressure due to aging, intensive and different types of use, climate change, and scarcity of people and resources. This calls for a transition to a future-proof living environment.
This transition requires not only technical innovation but also social innovation, with particular attention to culture and other forms of collaboration. Standard project management and traditional economic policy fall short in guiding transitions due to radical uncertainty. Complementary language and practices, based on relational values such as trust, empathy, and hope are need to guide this transition in a good way.
Action Research
Hope-Driven Transition focuses on knowledge development of culture and other forms of collaboration. This is based on design-driven action research. In co-creation with professionals from the infrastructure sector, hope-driven interventions are developed that contribute to a future-proof living environment. The research aligns with positive developments already happening in the sector and supports, deepens, and strengthens them.
What kind of activities are taking place?
Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of Twente work together with infrastructure professionals in a series of pilot programs. Within these pilots, concrete interventions are tested and refined in real project contexts. The resulting knowledge and insights are shared through our Academy.
