A second theme in Professor Facer’s tenureship covered the approaches towards convening publics. This began through questioning the ways in which the university facilitated and held relationships between city partners, but extended into two areas. The first looked at developing understanding of the structures of partnerships between public insitutitions and the modes of convening publics in artistic spaces. The second explored the roles of civil society actors and the ways in which they drove sustainable development in cities.
A collaboration with the Uppsala Art Museum centred around “The Non Human Animal: Negotiating Bio Relations”, and explored different holding spaces for recalibrating the relationships between humans and the natural world. Together, the CCL Node and the museum hosted public activities, lectures, and workshops. More details from the collaboration can be found in a report on the Climate Change Leadership blog.
In the early spring of 2020, Professor Facer convened members of civil society organisations to explore how to develop their capacities and leadership roles in developing a city. The workshops were facilitated by Pernilla Glaser, RISE Sverige, and Martin Westin, SLU, and included a diversity of actors who are all leading different grassroots initiatives for the development of creative, caring and sustainable futures in the city of Uppsala. This project was developed through the support of Region Uppsala and Uppsala Kommun, who both have vested interests in exploring the perspectives of societal actors and community leaders in the future of Uppsala.
For more information and links, visit our list of related resources, and our ongoing reflections connected to this theme.