Building future cities together: highlights from the CONIFER meeting
Two weeks ago, CollectiveUP joined our partners for the second online CONIFER consortium meeting — two days full of co-creation, strategic foresight, and civic imagination!
This gathering wasn’t just about updates. It marked a major shift into the action phase of the CONIFER project — a Europe-wide initiative to reimagine mobility through the lens of proximity, participation, and child-friendly cities. Together, we’re laying the groundwork to transform six European cities into living labs of the 15-minute city concept.
Day 1: Concepts into action – Participatory foresight and civic labs
The meeting kicked off with inspiring discussions around Work Package 1 (WP1), focusing on the key conceptual foundations for the proximity city. From literature reviews to participatory foresight and even the role of AI and art in urban futures, each task brought fresh insight into how cities can become more responsive to human needs.
We explored:
- How mobility cultures are shaped by people’s perceptions and everyday behaviors.
- The ethical, cultural, and climate-related implications of integrating AI in foresight (CollectiveUP is leading here!).
- The role of popular culture and artistic expression in engaging communities around future visions of their neighborhoods.
We then moved to WP2, diving deep into the Civic Labs: what they are, how they work, and what they should achieve. These labs are more than just workshops—they’re participatory platforms where local voices shape public space. CollectiveUP shared insights on how to center youth and co-create tangible, empowering experiences: from small interventions and school exhibitions to car-free events and urban storytelling.
Day 2: Tools for understanding mobility cultures
The second day centered around Work Package 3 (WP3), focused on understanding current mobility landscapes across the six Civic Labs.
Highlights included:
- A deep dive into a new web app designed to capture how people—especially children—perceive accessibility in their city.
- Surveys and participatory activities that will measure sense of place, experiences of proximity, and perceptions of movement.
- Photovoice workshops where children will document their surroundings, creating visual narratives that inform urban planning.
Important discussions tackled digital accessibility, age-appropriateness, data privacy, and ethical considerations—especially when working with youth.
What’s next?
🚸 In the fall of 2025, Civic Labs will launch in all partner cities, with local schools at the heart of this engagement. These Labs will bring proximity-based thinking into classrooms and neighborhoods, empowering children and communities to imagine the cities they want—and deserve.
🎯 For CollectiveUP, the months ahead will focus on refining our research around implicit biases in mobility cultures, developing engaging participatory formats, and ensuring youth participation stays central in every step.
Want to follow the journey?
You can learn more about CONIFER and our collective journey toward inclusive, child-friendly cities at 👉 www.conifer15.eu
We’re proud to be part of a project that’s rethinking urban life, not just for the future — but with the people who will live it. 💚
#CONIFER #15MinuteCity #UrbanPlanning #ParticipationMatters #ChildFriendlyCities #ProximityPlanning #FutureCities #SocialImpact #CollectiveUP
