Collaboration is the most critical part of building urban resilience. It can make a big difference when it comes to mastering challenges, such as pandemics, climate change or simply creating healthy and liveable cities. However, when Gerald Babel-Sutter, CEO of Urban Future, speaks of collaborations he thinks of the truly working together, a form of collaborating that allows new ways of doing things to take shape.

2020 was a stress test. Being hit by a global health pandemic caught every individual and every organization totally off guard. While some succeeded, others failed to do so. Companies went out of business, families broke apart, and some governments were shockingly ill-prepared to do anything but point the finger at others. As coronavirus sees events unfolding rapidly, you are either prepared, or you are not. So how come some appear to have mastered this ‘stress test’ so much better than others?

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Let me make the case for one key ingredient that I believe has made the difference: collaboration. Yes, I know what you might be thinking: “Seriously? Aren’t we all collaborating already?” In a way, we are. But I’m not talking about only communicating with each other or sharing information, something often confused with collaboration. I’m referring to true collaboration that includes not only the critical skill of genuinely listening to each other in conversation, but also allowing for new ways of doing things to develop. For me, collaboration is the most critical part of building resilience.

Collaboration as the most critical part of building resilience

Let’s look at cities – highly complex systems with many stakeholders. How else would you be able to get anything done in a very short time if not with collaboration? Yet, to an alarming number of cities, it is nothing more than lip service. But there are some cities that have embraced a different approach, with huge payoffs. Take the Belgian city of Leuven, for example. 20 years ago, they started “Stand up for your Neighbourhood”, a programme that saw the municipality collaborate with citizens to design and implement all kinds of community-driven projects. In 2019 the city of only around 100,000 inhabitants launched “Leuven co-create”; another such project, which was basically an open call to citizens to submit their ideas on how to make Leuven a better place to live. An amazing number of 2,000 proposals were received. Even more amazing was the fact that around 1,000 of them were funded, supported and implemented!

Power to citizens

Apart from the projects, the most crucial benefit of their 20 years of community driven action was that citizens, experts and politicians learned to work together. They learned how to articulate ideas, how to defend them among peers, how to be open to evaluation and to ideas for improvement. Leaders learned how it feels to step back and give power to citizens and teams, who in turn quickly realized that their involvements pay off and that their ideas can make an impact. When the coronavirus crisis hit in 2020, this was the foundation of Leuven’s resilience. Only days after the lockdown started, citizens had come up with solutions to some of the most pressing challenges, asking the city for technical support to launch “Leuven Helps”. This online platform connected residents in need with volunteers ready to help. Not only was Leuven the first city to set up a platform of this kind in response to coronavirus, but it was also adopted by roughly 280 cities around the world.

Connecting change makers from around the world

I am convinced that collaboration can make the difference when it comes to mastering challenges. I have experienced this firsthand. My team and I organize an international conference – and while many in the event industry did not survive the crisis, collaboration saved our company, making it even stronger. At our events, thousands of the most passionate urban change makers come together. There is a unique spirit of sharing authentic experiences, both the good and the bad. When coronavirus hit us, we were so shocked that we basically froze until our partners started to reanimate us. It was our partners who help ed us develop new perspectives on what we do: connecting change makers from around the world. So now, more than ever, I am convinced that in order to prepare yourself, your businesses, your community or region for a crisis ahead, make sure you know how to truly collaborate.

GERALD BABEL-SUTTER is a passionate change-maker. As the Co-founder and CEO of Urban Future, he brings together the world’s most passionate urban decision-makers. Babel-Sutter studied at Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Montclair State University, New York University, Columbia University and Harvard Business School.

Read this article in topos 114.

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Read another “Edge City” column here.

Social housing is urgently needed in many countries. But how can we provide affordable housing in low-income environments? 3D printing offers a potential solution for housing inequality.

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In March 2021, Germany’s first 3D printed house in Beckum is set to be completed. In China, Russia and many other countries, first trial neighbourhoods consisting exclusively of 3D printed houses are starting to mushroom. In Mexico’s federal state of Tabasco, a non-profit organisation has built several complete homes using 3D printing. This works with a combination of cement and advanced additives. The mixture is printed from a huge printer that layers the material. Within days, a whole house can be printed.

“Within days, a whole house can be printed.”

Advantages of 3D printing houses seem convincing: the material is very resistant, withstands even extreme climatic conditions and can be manufactured anywhere in the world. Completion of a 3D printed house is possible faster and at a much lower price than a traditional house. Furthermore, the impact on the environment is much lower when 3D printing a home (up to 50 per cent less CO2 emissions compared to a traditional construction process), since construction is quick, almost silent and less resource-intensive. This reduces costs and waste. But perhaps most importantly, printing homes is hailed by some as a solution to housing inequality.

“Printing homes is hailed by some as a solution to housing inequality.”

The hope and expectation is that modern printers will be able to provide affordable, decent housing in poor communities, help the homeless, and enable rapid responses after environmental disasters. In Tabasco, about 50 families with an income of less than 3 USD a day now live in 3D printed houses that are earthquake-proof. The beneficiaries were able to upgrade from the makeshift huts they resided in before, and now have two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom in each house. Is this a real possibility also for larger-scale products? Social housing by definition means affordable housing. It is usually rationed in order to award it only to those with a housing need. Typically, it is state or non-profit organisations that provide social housing.

“Technology cannot solve every problem.”

So far, 3D printed homes have mostly been built by private housing developers. The relatively new technology is not yet accessible to the state or to non-profit organisations with low financial strength, which mostly seems due to lacking funds and experiences in this area. At the same time, the built environment alone is not a solution for the quality or liveability of a city. Even if printing social housing for the masses were technically feasible today, the technology cannot solve every problem. For example, factors such as successful public spaces, eco-friendly and people-friendly mobility, short routes, safety and reduced waste in the urban environment are crucial to improving our cities.

“Manufacturing of 3D houses in the hands of local communities.”

Therefore, a successful integration of 3D printing technologies into social housing efforts requires an innovative and holistic approach. The cooperation between local authorities, non-profit organisations and the potential recipients is key in order to work out how the provision of affordable, stable, eco-friendly and adequate housing solutions could work. Grants for entire neighbourhoods that allocate space for public space design are desirable. An interesting approach is that of the fabricationcity that places the manufacturing of 3D houses in the hands of local communities. This kind of a project was launched in 2011 by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, the Fab Foundation and the Barcelona City Council. The fabrication city starts off by giving local makers access to fabrication labs, where they learn how to 3D print houses.

“We need to foster acceptance for 3D printing.”

In these “incubators”, future entrepreneurs are trained. In addition to their new skills, they also learn how to design for a neighbourhood and are invited to use participatory processes in order to include other residents in the planning process. Ideally, this results in a truly participatory co-creation of housing. To make the fabrication city a reality, we need to foster acceptance for 3D printing. This requires more analysis of the experience of houses and structures that have already been printed. The ambitious dream of printing social housing also requires community education, funding and planning permissions, integrated plans for upgrading urban environments around the social housing projects, and of course the necessary technology and materials at affordable prices. Until it ispossible to make all of these ingredients available, 3D printed social housing on a large scale will be stuck in the printer queue.

LAURA VON PUTTKAMER is an urban development specialist from Germany. She has a Master’s degree in Global Urban Development and Planning from The University of Manchester and currently lives in Mexico City. She blogs for parcitypatory.org.

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This opinion piece is from topos 114. Read more from that issue on the topic of fringes.