Week 5: What about this week? From research to Focus Week next week!

Another week full of learning, research and preparation at the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Amsterdam.

🎤 On Monday, our project groups presented their progress and continued working on their Process Biography and Design Rationale. Not only showing what they are developing, but also documenting the research, choices and learning process behind it.

🤝 On Tuesday, the students presented their Socialisation Plans. How will they connect with Amsterdam-Noord, and how can they make a meaningful contribution to the local community through their projects?

🤖 On Thursday, Danielle Leentjens joined us at PoPPo for a session on Ethics & AI. Afterwards, the students continued collecting data, conducting research and developing their projects.

And today: time for Friday Reflections. What did we learn this week, what still needs attention, and what will we take with us into the next phase?

Next week: Focus Week!

Next week, we take an important step: from research to ideas, and from ideas to concepts that we can discuss, challenge, test and improve together.

Our students will be inspired and challenged by several experts bringing different perspectives into the creative process:

🎨 Maarten van der Glas – Studio Play, Digital Artist
Maarten will introduce the students to the world of digital art, creativity and interactive experiences.

📦 Wout Kommer – Cardboard Workshop
With Wout, students will literally start making: getting ideas out of their heads and into their hands. Using cardboard, they will quickly make their first ideas tangible, allowing them to experiment, build and discover.

💡 Guido Stompff – Professor of Design Thinking
Guido will take the students into concepting through reframing: how can you look at a challenge differently based on your research, challenge existing assumptions and develop surprising new concepts? This also connects to his recently published book Design Doing.

❤️ And a special welcome to our BuurtPanel!

During this Focus Week, we are also introducing an initiative we are particularly excited about: the BuurtPanel (Neighbourhood Panel).

A very warm welcome to the residents of Amsterdam-Noord who will join us at PoPPo. With the BuurtPanel, we want to involve residents from the Heart of Noord even more closely in the creative process with our students.

So, rather than simply presenting ideas to the neighbourhood, we want to develop them together with the neighbourhood. Residents can respond to the students’ first ideas, share their experiences and perspectives, and help students discover what could truly make a difference for Buikslotermeerplein and its surroundings.

Because who knows the neighbourhood better than the people who live there?

Students, residents, experts and local partners — researching, creating, testing and learning together in the Heart of Noord. ❤️