Eight students join CrAFt in an interdisciplinary working group

CrAFt stands for Creating Actionable Futures, and it focusses on exploring ways to make European cities climate neutral, beautiful, and inclusive.

Mercy, you have recently joined the interdisciplinary working group of students that is part of this project. What was your motivation to do so?

“Since my arrival to The Netherlands with my husband, I have been endeared and at the same time wowed at the level of effort put to climate and environmental sustainability. I even became more aware of it since I started my masters program. This endearment is because I hail from a country that has little or no commitment to the cause of sustainability. Seeing this here was a totally new experience for me. An experience I wouldn’t miss for the world. And CrAFt gave me the opportunity to be a driver of social changes such as this. This is what spurred me to apply."

"Speaking further, one of my personal goals for my masters is to improve my collaboration skills. I wanted to do this on an inter-cultural scale. When I came across the CrAFt invite for core group students and saw that collaboration was a key part of what we will work on as a group through the duration of this internship, I was more convinced that I had to apply.”

Student engagement

The main responsibility of this group will be to collect documentation and inputs regarding the student activities in the CrAFt programme. The group will also organise interdisciplinary student events and think/do tanks relating to key CrAFt themes. For instance, rethinking the climate action plan of the municipality of Trondheim, Norway from the perspective of the next generation of climate-neutral champions. With the support of CrAFt experts, the group will define its own working structures and internal protocols for collaboration.

Mercy, you are a Product Designer and a student of our Master Digital Design. In what way do you bring your expertise to the table in the group?

“The other students and I will work hand in hand to create models that drive these changes in the pilot cities where CrAFt is involved. I love creating solutions and carrying out research. Which is one part of my profession as a product designer. I look forward to contributing with my skills in developing these models - developing digital mediums to ensure our project(s) run smoothly and actively work on researching to gain insights before and during these projects.”

Can you describe what your ideal future city looks like?

“One where everyone is aware of their impact in creating a green and eco-friendly environment. And the younger generation are educated on this and are also part of this change. Summarily, one where we are all involved in preserving our environment and our green planet.”

Do you want to learn more about CrAFt?

Please contact our project leader Andrew Switzer or visit the CrAFt website .

Collaboration across three Centres of Expertise

The CrAFt project involves three Centres of Expertise at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences' Creative Innovation, Urban Governance and Social Innovation, and Urban Technology. In addition, four research groups are collaborating in this project: Building Transformation (professor Frank Suurenbroek), Civic Interaction Design (professor Martijn de Waal), Coordination of Urban Issues (professor Stan Majoor), Creative Media for Social Change (Tamara Witschge). The international consortium is led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The project will run from May 2022 until May 2025.