Stroom: an urban living lab on everyday (wo)men’s circular consumption

The city organised this urban living lab in a neighbourhood with people from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, including a social housing district. The aim was to make the project results representative for the diverse population of the city. The city mapped people ’s wishes and concerns about different livelihood needs: energy and water consumption, food, housing, consumer goods such as tools, transport modes and textile. We mainly explored the degree to which inhabitants adopt circular thinking without per se naming it that way. We used a range of methodologies in order to engage many different people; from an online survey and diary studies to ideation workshops adapted to specific target groups (youth, migrant women, …). To reach the everyday men and women, we immersed into the social fabric by home visits, and through neigborhood workers and associations. Together, we organised neighborhood activities such as a flea market or a disco soup. In a second phase of the project, the city aimed to boost small scale circular initiatives which formulate an answer to the most common concerns that had been mapped. Together with social organisations, citizens and entrepreneurs, we organised a circular market (physically and on a map), provided a shared e-cargobike system and started a pilot to mainstream the use of a tool library. The city also supported the citizens in the development of a communal vegetable garden