The Creative Bureaucracy Festival, celebrating the outstanding innovation in the public sector and its contribution to a better, more sustainable, and more just world, took place from September 28th until October 2nd and provided us with some very inspirational seminars, among which many of our PE leaders had a chance to share their knowledge.

Charles Landry talked about how city networks can create a real impact, how cultural actors can co-create public value with citizens and what the pandemic slowdown can teach us about the challenges that lie ahead. Ramon Marrades co-curated sessions on what it takes to be a public servant today, how the pandemic can create new opportunities for reform and how the living labs and innovation offices can transform bureaucracy within. Charlot Schans discussed the co-creation tools such as support mechanisms for civic initiatives, participatory budgeting and direct democracy, talked about learning from disorder and, together with Ramon, debated about Placemaking for recovery - the City After Covid. 

All recordings will be available on creativebureaucracy.org

Placemaking Europe's highlight of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival:

The City After Covid. Placemaking for recovery

In this session, Ramon Marrades and Charlot Schans explored the long term consequences of this crisis for cities, places and citizens and analysed the potential of this crisis to create systemic change, and avoid returning to business as usual, and the role of placemaking and public space to shape a post-covid world for the better.

Together with some members of Placemaking Europe network, we were looking for ideas, visions, and suggestions on what the post-pandemic city should look like. As the outcome of this, we prepared a short video touching on that subject, that was presented during the session. You can watch it here. Also check out the presentation from the seminar - you can find very interesting outcomes of our survey on what the City After Covid would be like.

Photo cc) Creative Bureaucracy Festival