100 Resilient Cities
As a consulting partner in Rockefeller Foundation’s “100 Resilient Cities”, we were selected by Washington D.C.’s Chief Resilience Officer to develop a workshop for various district agencies to explore innovative ways of working together. We introduced human-centered methodologies to experiment with creativity and civic responsibility in a consequence-free environment.
We invited leaders to imagine how they would design constituent support if they could do it for another agency. Using a realistic challenge scenario, they came up with novel experiences that benefitted different community stakeholders within that context.
(A participant refines their original concept into a 3-panel storyboard.)
We helped participants explore collaborative ways that inter-agency planning would increase district resiliency. We also inspired participants to reconsider how lightweight partnerships could leverage their deep expertise, and navigate the complexities of district government.
(A team delegate presents their selected concept to the full workshop group.)
We used “serious play” to help district staff tap into their experience working with communities and come up with concepts to support people in DC during a resilience emergency event (e.g., Heat Wave, Federal Shutdown).
All teams were given the same emergency event. Then each team of four drew an agency card and a constituent card.
Example:
Emergency Event: Heat Wave
Agency Card: Department of Parks and Recreation
Constituent Card: Older Adult
Team Members: Department of Water & Power, Department of Education, Department of Sanitation, and Department of Health
Using these constraints, teams were free to think as wildly and effectively as possible.
Through this practice, participants acknowledged that their wisdom reached beyond the limits of their agency or job title. Their understanding of district complexity and community needs empowered them to generate unexpected solutions. This permission to role play another agency liberated their thinking from a “no-first mentality”.
(As a group, the workshop participants rationalized their concepts based on which would thrive in cross-agency partnership.)
Our workshop helped district Resilience leaders explore interventions in a consequence-free environment and helped them develop a framework for collaboration. This engagement strengthened relationships and established new engagement models that were easy to deploy.
Collaborators
Mayo Nissen
Mariane Jang
Hannah Glosser
Kevin Bush
Harrison Newton
(Participants explain their sketches to their team.)
When we talk, remind me to tell you about…
“Not feeling qualified to speak on DWP”
Building backwards from a perfect state concept
The liberty of the “Informed” (RACI)