Gehls perspectives on the lunch inspirational meetings of the spring

Resilience in a Time of Change – Reflections from Nordic City Network’s Lunchtime Sessions

This year, Nordic City Network celebrates 20 years of shared learning and urban development. At the same time, we find ourselves in an era marked by growing societal challenges, climate uncertainty, and social unrest.

During our lunchtime sessions this spring, we’ve explored the theme of resilience: How does it appear in your projects – past and future? And how can we draw inspiration from people and organizations building resilience in new ways?

 

What do we mean by resilience?
We’ve discussed social, ecological, and organizational resilience – and the need to find shared language and new ways of working. Here are some key perspectives and reflections raised during our sessions:

 

Session 1 (May)

Organizational Resilience
Tinus Elsig, Vejle Municipality:
Small and mid-sized cities have an advantage in their agility – fewer layers, less bureaucracy.

  • How can we use our own structures to respond more quickly in times of crisis and change?

Just Climate Transitions
Stefan Holmlid, Just Transitions:
Climate projects become more sustainable when more voices are included – especially those often left out.

  • How can we broaden our perspectives and create places that are resilient for more people?

 

Session 2 (June)

Co-Creation
Gunvor Christensen, Fællesorganisationens Boligforening:
Residents should be seen as co-creators, not recipients. She raised questions such as:

  • How do we build trust and community in our neighborhoods?
  • How can we strengthen young people’s sense of safety through meaningful engagement?
  • How do we shift negative narratives into pride and belonging?
  • How do we find inclusive language that reflects diverse experiences?

From Idea to Practice
Fredrik Noltenius Busck, CPH Village:
He shared the example of “floating student housing,” where students collaborate to build community and long-term value in their living spaces. The concept of “beyond the rent” was central – with transparency, dialogue, and climate goals integrated into the process.

  • How can cities create space for more of these initiatives – also for other groups?
  • What role can municipalities play in supporting this kind of collaboration?

 

Watch the inspiration meetings afterwards

Here are the recordings from the two spring meetings (accessible only to the contact persons for each city — reach out to your city’s contact person if you’d like to receive the files).

 

What’s next?

In our final session of the series, August 28, we’ll bring these perspectives together and deepen the conversation on how cities can continue to use resilience as a framework in their urban development strategies and projects.

How do we view the future – and what responsibility do we take in shaping it?

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