SDG CoLab

29/01/2024

Youth Wellbeing in Cities: Collaborative development of Wellbeing System Map in Cluj - GLOBAL LAUNCH on Friday, January 26, 15:00 - 16:30 CET (online)

Join us at the launch of the first-of-its-kind interactive Wellbeing System Map of the city's young residents. We will share,
• how we apply system thinking for wellbeing and urban innovation,
• how we use system stories and work with artists,
• and how can collaborative system mapping serve cities, regions, countries or communities in designing systemic interventions for wellbeing and just transitions towards a more regenerative future.

This Wellbeing System Map was developed in a collaborative process with over 40 local public, private, civic and academic organizations - and most importantly with local youth - in Cluj-Napoca, a vibrant multi-cultural intermediary city in Romania, Europe. This project continues.

Guided by (SDG Colab and steward of OurCluj living lab) with Fabian Gampp and Gian Wieck (System Mapping Academy) with local partners Babeș-Bolyai University coordinated by Marius Ungureanu, Social and Medical Directorate of Cluj-Napoca (DASM) of Cluj-Napoca City Hall .group Group, .ai and Rural Senses.
Presented with , graphic design by . Social archetypes, illustrations by from study Activating Values inUrban Transitions..Funded by , a trust philantropy supporting inclusive participatory approches and system transformation for youth wellbeing.
Thank you all for your contributions, looking forward to continue this journey with you.

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12/07/2022

Our new study Activating Values in Urban Transitions is out in the world! It examines the benefits of prioritizing well-being over economic growth in urban transitions.

Read our full press release & download the study: http://ourcluj.city/news/
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I am thrilled to share, that today we have released the new study “Activating Values in Urban Transitions: A novel approach to urban innovation in Romania.”
During the World Urban Forum , with my non-profit SDG CoLab together with the Engagement Lab at Emerson College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the ArtiVistory Collective at Universitatea de Artă și Design din Cluj-Napoca, with funding from Fondation Botnar.

The study finds that the explicit articulation of of care and trust is essential for creating and sustaining local innovation ecosystems in the Eastern European context. It details how the foregrounding of these values is accomplished, and it provides design recommendations for other cities interested in reproducing the model in the pursuit of just transitions and .

It documents the co-creation of , a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary living laboratory focused on wellbeing. I have been stewarding the cocreation of it with incredible local partners over the past three years. We call such novel arrangement a “Values-Based Urban Living Laboratory” or VBULL. It's taking place in Cluj-Napoca, a vibrant intermediary city in Romania, looking for transformative pathways in post-COVID recovery.
Thanks to the co-author Eric Gordon, along with a great team Tomás Guarna, Tijana Zderic, Bianca Baluata, Nadina Pantea, the ArtiViStory Collective, Iliescu Alice Andreea, Daniel Popescu and Anamaria Tomiuc. Thoughtfully designed by PUNKT, with artworks created as part of our research process. Special thanks to all the people in Cluj who shared their time and wisdom with us.

The study finds that the explicit articulation of values of care and trust is essential for creating