THE WORLD TRANSFORMATION CENTER In 2018, we temporarily occupied the World Trade Center in Brussels’ North District, along with many creative entrepreneurs, design practices, urban initiatives and an architecture school. The WTC-I 23rd floor was transformed into a public knowledge platform and incubator for the collaborative design of strategic transformation projects and investment programmes to better respond to global challenges. For this occasion, the WTC was renamed “World Transformation Center” and established as the central venue of You Are Here, Brussels’ architecture and transition biennial ‘in-the-making’. To meet the ambitious goals set by the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations to combat climate change and its consequences, radical changes are needed. The transitions—to renewable energy, circular economy, shared mobility, healthy food production, etc.—will not take place without major modifications to our cities and landscapes, and not without citizens, experts and policymakers who live within and decide upon them. No transitions without spatial transformation, and no spatial transformation without social movement. Many innovative spatial practices are rethinking their work methodologies and concepts within architecture, urban development, and spatial planning when integrating aspects of policy development, knowledge production, climate change, energy transition, water management, food production, circular building and/or impact investment. However, the existing insights and experiments often remain too isolated and disconnected from policy, financing and governance instruments to grow and multiply. The World Transformation Center facilitates the connection, combination and structuring of the existing expertise, insights and dynamics. In its inspiring space, it hosts public debates, harvesting workshops, research-by-design ateliers, governance labs, and thus enables public administrations, research institutions, citizens associations, schools, companies and entrepreneurs to exchange, jointly developing knowledge and design methodologies for transformation. With transformation programmes worth over 20 million euro in implementation projects as kick-off, more than 400 actors from different backgrounds cooperated, exposing their work-in-progress in a continuously evolving exhibition and work environment.
© 2019 Installation for AUGURES/Bap! from May 3 to July 13, 2019 Image: Max Creasy and OK–RM Video: Het Peloton and Architecture Workroom Brussels Texts, illustrations and layout: Architecture Workroom Brussels Photographs (in order of appearance) Parcours through the World Trade Center I in Brussels. Credits: Max Creasy and OK–RM Climate Districts model as a background for The Big Energy Transformation debate. Credits: Yann Bertrand Presentation in the framework of Water+Land+Schap. Credits: Bob Van Mol Air quality map of Brussels. Credits: Bob Van Mol The World at Risk map for the investment programme Water as Leverage. Credits: Bob Van Mol Visit of the Maria school of Schaarbeek for an educational trajectory. Credits: Bob Van Mol Working table in the framework of the investment programme Water+Land+Schap. Credits: Bob Van Mol World Transformation Conference on theories of change. Credits: Bob Van Mol
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4. distribution is is strengthened strengthened through through aa shared 4. Horizontal Horizontal knowledge knowledge distribution shared programme of debates, work sessions, urbaninformal walks, informal programme of debates, work sessions, urban walks, conversations, tours, etc. etc. This This forum forum facilitates facilitates the the exchange exchange conversations, curated curated tours, between and enables enables the the engagement engagement with with aa large large between various various partners partners and variety variety of of publics. publics.
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5. simultaneously, the the workspace workspace sways sways back back 5. Activating Activating different different scales scales simultaneously, and the city, city, the the urban urban landscape, landscape, and forth forth between between the the neighbourhood, neighbourhood, the the all of of which which it it is is firmly firmly anchored. anchored. It It connects connects the delta delta and and the the globe, globe, in in all the ambitions of of local local situations situations to to systemic systemic and and the specific specific concerns concerns and and ambitions territorial territorial logics logics and and transitions. transitions.
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6. insights of of the the different different stakeholders stakeholders come come 6. The The aspirations aspirations and and insights together agenda. Translating Translating problems problems into into opportunities, opportunities, together in in a a common common agenda. it asserts the the potential potential of of spatial spatial it formulates formulates shared shared ambitions, ambitions, asserts transformation lever, and and stimulates stimulates the the capacity capacity to to act act transformation as as strategic strategic lever, upon upon the the needed needed transitions. transitions.
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7. juxtaposition of of challenges, challenges, capacities, capacities, 7. By By revealing revealing the the spatial spatial juxtaposition responsibilities the interdependencies interdependencies between between actors actors responsibilities and and resources, resources, the become stakeholders to to set set up up efficient efficient coalitions. coalitions. become visible, visible, provoking provoking stakeholders The Center helps helps initiate initiate and and draw draw up up programs programs The World World Transformation Transformation Center of investment, which which enable enable the the deployment deployment of of of collaboration collaboration and and joint joint investment, strategic on the the ground. ground. strategic actions actions and and transformations transformations on
guiding principles 1. The shared mission of the members is to accelerate transformation on the ground by making time and space to learn from each other in a more sustainable, egalitarian way. 2. Collectively developed knowledge is actively documented and made publicly accessible for it to spread even further. 3. Decisions within the community of partners are taken by a transdisciplinary group of funders, users, etc. ‌
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10. 10. The The accumulation accumulation of of concepts, concepts, methods methods and and constellations constellations of of actors actors feeds feeds into into aa knowledge knowledge database database which which facilitates facilitates the the further further dissemination dissemination to to and and enrolment enrolment of of aa multiplicity multiplicity of of actors. actors. As As an an incremental incremental collection collection of of strategies, strategies, practices practices and and working working methods, methods, the online platform is both library and and tool tool to facilitate viralviral transformation. the online platform is both library to facilitate
transformation.