Smartdest H2020 meets MITdesignX Venice. 

An opportunity to apply the methods of MITdesignX to the the issues that have emerged from the SmartDest project in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Turin and Venice.

The SmartDest Ideathon challenges participants to develop viable solutions to address the main issues that have emerged across all 8 participating cities of the SmartDest project.  The whole day is dedicated to the identification and refinement of innovative ideas, while creating synergies with other participants, in a dynamic and engaging way so that a diverse group of participants can share skills and insights with one another.  The SmartDest Ideathon is a form of participatory, collective brainstorming that fosters networking and co-design with the ultimate goal of identifying specific actions and initiatives that address the problems of social exclusion -- caused by the new models of tourist and transnational mobility -- that emerged across all participating cities during the SMARTDEST research project. 

This event will give also the opportunity of facilitating the formation of strong interdisciplinary teams that can make a successful submission into the MITdesignX Venice program. (Submissions are open  until July 31, 2023)

The themes/challenges on which participants are called to find ideas and solutions (possibly startup ideas) are dedicated to solving problems experienced in cities that are the hub of tourism and other related mobilities: 

• Inclusive Tourism

• Housing Affordability

• Everyday Mobility

• Data Democracy & Community Empowerment 

Participants who don’t have a clear startup idea or are not already part of a team will be able to forge collaborations for joint ventures. They will be able to join rounds of discussion and contribute their talents and skills to emerging teams.

Our facilitators will be on hand to help guide the entire process.

Idea proponents summarize reshaped ideas and lessons learnt. The SmartDest consortium will award the best startup idea with a prize.

(*) At MITdesignX Venice, Intellectual Property (IP) is considered the property of the individuals and/or teams. MIT and SerenDPT will not stake IP or patent claims to new ideas developed at MITdesignX Venice.

"SMARTDEST main ambition is to contribute to the definition of a policy agenda for cities that takes tourism mobilities seriously, at all levels of government, and that brings out the potential of social innovation from citizen engagement for more resilient communities. It has thus produced new evidence on how urban inequalities and exclusion are produced, lived, and coped with in cities that are the hub of tourism and other related mobilities, under the pull of city spaces and assets that reorient progressively towards the affordabilities of a transnational mobile class. It has similarly looked into the uneven negotiations that unfold from the digital to the physical and social space, identifying criticalities in the construction of inclusive smart cities. The Smartdest Innovation Camp event, aims to bring together scientists, policymakers, innovation agents and networks, practitioners and researchers in training as an opportunity to present some of the project findings and exploring how such results may inform innovation actions and new initiatives" (A.P Russo, Smartdest Project Coordinator).