In the last couple of months, our streets were empty and our cities quiet. Behind this seeming tranquillity, there has been a storm raging through our values and structures. It has given us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’ of the dysfunctional systems in our society. In this series, we showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on our present-day situation. Through the lens of their own area of expertise and with an emphasis on the power of design and imagination. The corona crisis is, without a doubt, a crisis that is leaving behind a trail of victims. But which transformations will we be left within the aftermath? In times as these, it is the creatives, philosophers, scientists, makers, and designers who can visualise new scenarios, and develop new insights for our future.
Yassine Salihine provides concept development, design, and forecasting services to clients in a wide range of industries. He pushes projects forward with critical thinking, holistic design methods, and thorough research that results in concrete solutions. Clients he worked with are a.o. Adidas, Timberland, Emma Safety Footwear, Philips, Stahl, Biblionet Drenthe, Start Up Mix, and Helden Media. Yassine expanded his research ideas at the footwear innovation institute SLEM, where he helped global players in the footwear and automotive industries with design and manufacturing innovation. Besides his work as an explorer of possibility space, he is a core tutor Design Research at the Master Industrial Design programme of the Royal Academy of Art, and a tutor Critical Design Thinking at the Avans University of Applied Sciences. Yassine will be talking about the concept of The Liquid City. Talk about autonomous cars has been making the rounds for a while now. But what if our built environment became autonomous? What if the city could reconfigure itself? What would that mean for communities, modes of production and what would local even mean then?
Grațian Mihăilescu has a national and international experience of over 10 years in the field of development, communication, public policy, and innovation. He studied and worked in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Serbia and the USA, being a fellow of the European Commission, collaborating with organisations such as the World Bank, the Government of Romania or the Assembly of European Regions. Grațian is the founder of UrbanizeHub, a community of passionate and involved people, with varied expertise, people who want to change the face of cities in a SMART and sustainable way. The smart innovation lab is a global problem-solving solution for smart communities, and organises events, launches reports and studies, and offers consultancy for development and training on innovation, creativity, conducts community interventions at the level of corporate social responsibility and social innovation.
