In a city steeped in grassroots engagement and citizen participation, the Dialogues for Change initiative held its second workshop from April 21-24, 2013, in Leipzig, Germany. The Dialogues for Change Initiative is a joint undertaking with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the German Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development, and German Federal Institute for Research on Building Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR). Participants from the US cities of Austin, Flint and Memphis and the German cities of Bottrop, Leipzig and Ludwigsburg, met for two days of learning, sharing, and peer review and discussion. Building off of the first Dialogues for Change workshop, the event included two new learning themes and focused on solving ongoing challenges from participants’ city-wide projects that were started in January.

The first new learning theme focused on innovative media and the civic engagement process with a presentation from Paul Schutt from the Issue Media Group, a media company in Detroit, MI. Paul explained how new, alternative media can fill the gaps in traditional media’s reporting of urban issues that generally focuses on loss and conflict, by focusing on opportunity and positive changes that regularly occur in urban areas. Paul also focused on reaching a group of people he referred to as the change-makers. Workshop participants identified these people in each of their cities and brainstormed how they can be reached. Participants also highlighted stories or narratives about their city that they could convey in a positive and constructive fashion.  From this session, it became clear that the media is a tool that can be used to promote new ideas and positive outcomes, and that cities and the media can develop symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationships.

In building off of the lessons of diversity and inclusion and designing successful practices from the first workshop, participants were introduced to a new learning theme on how to create a culture of participation in cities to move civic participation beyond project or plan specific activities to continuous, ongoing discussions about the future of cities. Participants heard from Julian Petrin of Nexthamburg on various ways to achieve sustained civic engagement, tools that can be accessed as well as the benefits of creating a culture of engagement in their cities. Julian used the Nexthamburg Project, as well as his experience as an urban planner and communication expert, to illustrate successful examples as well as failed ideas. In the discussions that followed, participants imagined what a culture of engagement would look like in their city and who they would need to engage to start this process. Furthermore, participants connected lessons from the media session to the notion of sustained civic engagement by articulating who needs to be involved and how they can be reached.  

The workshop also focused on analyzing participants’ city-wide projects that began after the January workshop. City participants presented one victory and one challenge in their ongoing engagement processes and workshop participants offered constructive advice and innovative problem-solving techniques to their peers. Peer learning, a cornerstone of this initiative, illustrates an overarching theme – the collective wisdom of groups is better than individual knowledge. By harnessing the knowledge of the group, participants are able to tackle tough challenges armed with the knowledge of their peers on both sides of the Atlantic.

After two intensive days of workshop activities, participants toured West Leipzig, an area that suffered greatly after the massive exodus of residents and companies that accompanied German unification. Workshop participants now witnessed a massive revitalization effort – including the renovation and restoration of historic buildings and public spaces, and innovative placemaking strategies that celebrate the area’s heritage. Many of these efforts are community led and supported by local politicians.

Participants have returned to their home cities inspired by new ideas and armed with new tools and goals, and will continue to engage in peer learning and exchange for the next several months.  A third workshop is planned for September 2013, where the value of transatlantic exchange, peer learning, and innovative problem solving will be evident once again.