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4.1 Reflection from the Masterclass Final Presentation
4.1 REFLECTIONS FROM THE MASTERCLASS FINAL PUBLIC PRESENTATION
The final presentation took place at the Kantine Walhalla, a small local theatre. The presentation was part of the Rotterdam Architecture Month and open to the public. The presentation of the students was followed by a discussion with Toni L. Griffin, Ruth Höppner and Otto Trienekens, moderated by Bas van der Pol, director of the Architecture Initiative Rotterdam.
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“ [...] we have to look at inclusion in the just city through more than just a participatory lens [...] we also have to look at inclusion through the lens of power; inclusion and diversity also have to happen at the level of our institutions, [municipalities, corporate and business sectors, universities, etc] is this ‘inclusion and diversity’ also present in these leadership and power structures.”
Toni L. Griffin “When I first heard about the Just City Index, I was very intrigued by the power of the concept. But I am also a very practical person, so how are we going to use the power of the values and create something that policy makers can use. For the veldacademie and the city of Rotterdam, the next step is to continue this collaboration to achieve this and apply the values in policies for the city.”
Ruth Höppner
“[...] this generation is way more entrepreneurial than when I was in school, they are already thinking about nontraditional ways to be effective and have agency [...] it puts them in a great position to be entrepreneurially disruptive”
Toni L. Griffin
“I think we have to get a grip on the opportunity of high investment transformations in order to move forward and be a more inclusive city [...] I think what the students proved [...] is that a tool like the ‘just glasses’ really helps in identifying and [developing] these opportunities. [...] They showed that these opportunities need not be large measures but can be small nuanced interventions, like ‘walking through the tower’; which might sound too simple to be true, but it is a very powerful way to connected the new development with the existing neighbourhood.”
Otto Trienekens
