As a result of the award I could take part in the conference ‘Regeneration through sustainable development – exploring new ideas and sharing best practice’ hosted by Kirklees Council the 25th of November 2010 in Huddersfield (UK). The conference aimed to inspire and stimulate discussion about leading regeneration practices in the UK and Europe. Keynote speakers were Irene Bauman, Laurent Guillard, Charles Landry and Jonas Andersson. Networking possibilities as well as an evening activity gave enough room for getting in touch with international delegates.
Prior to the event I was invited to take part in the Sustainable Cities National Support Group Session in the morning. Here, I learned about the Reference Framework for sustainable cities and discussed best practice in round table discussions with international delegates.
Next to the keynote speeches five workshops were held. I actively took part in the workshop on ‘Creativity as a vehicle for sustainable development’. The workshop was facilitated by Phil Wood with contributions from Graz (Austria) and Nordkolleg Rendsburg (Germany). I actively contributed to the workshop giving a presentation on the role of creative intermediaries for sustainable regeneration. Next to some theoretical thoughts on the topic, I presented my current work practice as an intermediary between culture, economy and politics in the project ‘Dialog: KulturWirtschaft’ Schleswig-Holstein (most northern Land in Germany). This was very helpful to me as I got to know Phil Wood and other people participating in the workshop. I received helpful feedback on my work and could serve as a best practice to others.
The entire trip was very useful for me as I could expand my international network with researchers and practitioners in the field of urban and regional development. Further, I learnt about other practices in the field as well as the Reference Framework for sustainable cities.
Thanks a lot for this Award: it is a great contribution to your members.