Magnitude  2010:  
Rebuilding  the  Future,  by  restoring  the  Past  
Gaby  Sadowski,  Eindhoven,  the  Netherlands  
 
Open  Innovation  Festival  2010  
 
 
 
 
 
Op  
  

Open  Innovation  Festival  Worldwide  2010  /  Magnitude  2010  

The world is changing dramatically Increasingly we have new tools at our
disposal that allow us to improve our work, our governmental organizations
and our lives. In 2009, the five-day Open Innovation Festival organized by the
city of Amsterdam showed that we have the expertise as well as the
technique to improve our neighborhoods and your cities.

However, it is essential to acknowledge the possibilities we have at hand. We

have to open up ourselves in order to open up our society. Furthermore, we
have to invest in our personal skills. If we start using all available expertise,
ideas and creative talent, within and outside our organizations, we can
accomplish the fundamental changes our society needs. Sometimes, people
need help. The Open Innovation Festival (OIF) shows that numerous people
are ready and willing to help if necessary. OIF shows that it is possible to
create an unimaginable amount of value and positive energy without thinking
in terms of finance. Combining the available creativity, enthusiasm and
knowledge can lead to results once considered impossible.

In 2010, the Open Innovation Festival will be launched worldwide (November

29 - December 3, 2010). We ask citizens, organizational institution and
companies to join forces and make innovation happen in this week. The sky is
the limit, or maybe even beyond.

In different countries all over the world festivals will be hosted. The program
of the festival will be put together by different cities themselves. These city
festivals will put emphasis on the strengths and identity of the city, based on
different kind of workshops; sessions, exhibitions, showcases, discussions,
networking events etc can be expected. The cities will be connected through
live-stream connections.

One of the main themes of the festival will be co-creation/crowd-sourcing:

How can citizens, companies and government join forces in order to meet the
challenges in for instance Safety, Mobility, Well-being, Environment, and E-
inclusion in our cities? How can innovation help to transform challenges into
solutions?

Aim of this memo

The goal of this memo is to ask for concrete contribution for the festival that
will take place from the 29th November until the 3rd December. We focus and
highlight one of the central projects with international allure, in which we
seek all kinds of contributions. The project is called: Rebuilding the
Future, by restoring the Past.
The context: Restoring the future, by rebuilding the past:
L’Aquila

L’Aquila  -­‐  highlights  of  a  city  

L’Aquila   (ca.   73.000   inhabitants)   is   a   city   of   central   Italy,   capital   of   the   Region  
Abruzzo.  It  is  situated  on  a  721  meters  hillside  within  a  narrow  valley  between  the  
Gran   Sasso   d’Italia   (2914   meters)   (the   peak   of   Appenine   chain)   and   the   Velino-­‐
Sirente  chain  (2487  meters)  and  their  homonym  national  parks.  

The   history   of   L’Aquila   is   made   up   of   times   of   both   prosperity   and   decadence   due   to  
the   alternation   of   conflicts   and   foreign   dominations,   and   times   of   flourishing  
commercial   relationships   also   with   different   cities   and   countries   (e.g.   Florence   and  
Venice   as   well   as   France,   Holland   and   Germany),   which   made   L’Aquila   the   second  
city   of   the   Reign   of   Naples   after   Naples   itself.   The   foundation   of   a   University   in   1458  
and   the   establishment   of   typography   by   the   Gutenberg’s   apprentice,   Adam   from  
Rottweil,  in  1482  contributed  to  a  cultural  growth  throughout  all  the  Middle  Age  and  
up  till  one  of  the  major  earthquake  the  city  suffered  (1703).  

In   fact,   the   history   of   the   city   has   been   profoundly   affected   by   recursive   strong  
earthquakes   (e.g.   1315,   1349,   1461,   1646,   1672,   1703),   which   brought   death   and  
destruction   as   slowed   down   its   expansion   and   level   of   richness   imposing   to   the  
citizens  enormous  efforts.  The  re-­‐building  of  the  city  has  always  been  promoted  by  
the  Church  or  the  States  it  belonged  to  for  its  strategic  position,  cultural  heritage  and  
relevance   in   commercial   dealings.   The   reconstruction   of   destroyed   or   heavily  
damaged   buildings,   churches   and   monuments   has   often   been   done   following   the  
different  current  architectonic  techniques  allowing  the  stratification  of  styles.    

The  earthquake  of  April  6th,  2009  

During   the   night   of   April   6th   2009   at   3.32   a.m.   local   time,   an   earthquake   of   6.3  
magnitude   struck   central   Italy   with   epicenter   in   L’Aquila.   The   existence   of   many  
faults   in   its   underneath   geological   structure,   the   fact   that   the   city   lays   on   a  
Pleistocene  lake-­‐bed  that  amplifies  seismic  activity  and  the  age  of  the  city  (as  well  as  
the   existence   of   modern   buildings   not   “quake-­‐proof”)   made   the   event   of   greater  
impact   on   people   and   infrastructures   as   well   as   its   cultural   heritage.   Several  
buildings   collapsed,   308   people   died,   65.000   people   became   homeless   and   all   the  
social   and   cultural   activities   suddenly   stopped.   The   city   center   (estimated   as   the  
larger  historical  city  center)  was  declared  red  zone  and  the  access  to  it  interdicted.  
The   same   happened   to   the   medieval   villages   in   the   surroundings   bringing   up   to  
130.000  the  number  of  people  to  be  assisted  for  daily  necessities.  

After   one   and   a   half   years,   the   city   center   of   L’Aquila   is   still   closed   though   Fire  
Brigades  are  constantly  and  proudly  working  to  put  buildings  in  safety  with  the  most  
modern   techniques.   Until   people   will   not   be   able   to   access   and   live   the   city   itself,   to  
enjoy  its  cultural  treasures  and  meeting  points,  cinemas,  theaters,  narrow  medieval  
streets  and  open  squares  and  till  they  will  not  be  able  to  live  their  daily  life,  they  will  
remain  deprived  of  their  identity  and  background.  
The General Idea:

While during the OIF festival every country is finding solutions for its own
challenges, it would be a great idea to combine forces all over the world in
order to come up with a solution for the enormous social and economical
challenge L’Aquila is facing for over more than one year now. Rebuilding
takes time, money and effort. The loss of a city (not forgetting about the loss
of people during the earthquake) brings along feelings of sadness and the
lack of hope.

Just imagine: is it possible for the world to put L’Aquila back on the map? Not
by sending money, but by making a real contribution. Combing our virtual
and physical forces? In a first and quick step we want to rebuild L’Aquila in a
virtual manner, using innovative techniques, however the main goal and the
main challenges is to rebuild L’Aquila’s publicly owned spaces.

The Virtual idea:

While all the citizens of L’Aquila are now living outside their city (waiting for
L’Aquila to be safe again), they still feel strongly connected to their city. I use
the image of Alberto her. He was born in L’Aquila, he was raised there. He
now lives in Eindhoven and works as a post-doc researcher at the Technical
University of Eindhoven (TU/e). He carries around his notebook and Iphone
full with pictures of his hometown. How beautiful it used to be and how it
looks now: like a ghost town.

In order to give L’Aquila back to its citizens a first step would be: rebuilding
L’Aquila in a virtual manner.

- Using Augmented Reality

- Using Layer-app
- Using live-stream/webcam images
- Virtually rebuilding some of the identifying buildings of L’Aquila.

Why? A virtual place can be a place where people of L’Aquila can meet each
other. Community building will take place. People can share their feelings
about the earthquake; people can share stories and pictures. It will give them
back a sense of presence.
A challenge for the Innovation festival would be: develop tools or mechanisms
to re-vivid this city in a virtual manner. Develop tools and mechanisms to
form communities in order to stimulate cooperation in L’Aquila.

The Physical Idea

Of course, rebuilding the city in a virtual manner is a “fast-solution”. It does

not give back their houses for the inhabitants. People can meet virtually
around the marketplace, but it does not allow people to sit in L’Aquila and
enjoy the food and the wine together.

So, another challenge within this project is to come up with innovative ideas
about the physical rebuilding of this city. A way to organize this is, would be
through a worldwide co-creation event: combing skills, expertise and power
from thinkers (students) from all over the world, with different backgrounds.
Keeping in mind the identity of the city (which you can learn from the virtual
community), keeping in mind the historical background of the city and
keeping in mind all the new insights about:

- Earthquake proof construction methods

- Sustainability insights
- Energy reducing technologies
- Broadband opportunities
- Light
- Smart living
- Healthy aging
- Etc.

The framework of rebuilding

Of course, we have to stay realistic about the rebuilding of L’Aquila as a

whole. It will be too expensive and too big for just this project. Neither is it
our project scope to develop criteria which building to restore and which not.
The restoration of private buildings should be financed by the Italian central
government itself.

In this project we want to aim for the rebuilding of a publicly-owned area,

which is close to the Collemaggio Church. In that area, different laboratories
and offices of the local health authority can be found as well as the Academy
of Arts and Images. Such an environment would easily entail the necessity of
planning a full restoration of buildings with quakeproof techniques, the
creation of a high speed communication system (fibre) and the creation of a
real experimentation platform for e-health and e-government services.

Besides, this area is fully publicly owned and requires no special supervision
by the Committee of Arts since there a no historicllay-vincolated buildings to
be found.
A focus on this are could increase chances of success in terms of municipality
commitment and streamline the collaboration between L’Aquila and other
municipalities like Eindhoven.

A form of “adoption” of a system of buildings in a homogeneous area could

be one of the possible forms to involve private companies in the rebuilding

Enough Ideas: how to implement them? Living Lab L’Aquila

For that, of course, we need sponsors. Companies that are willing to lay down
some showcases in L’Aquila.

What if we look at L’Aquila as a living lab? A living lab is a new way of

innovation in which different partners in the chain (from developer till the
end-user) work together in order to innovate and getting things done. In
most cases the development will be developed and tested in it’s original
surrounding, in this case in L’Aquila itself.

From a EU context Living Labs are highly appreciated and stimulated as a

crucial layer of/for our new economy. (Strengthening innovation and
investment in ict)

For companies this living lab will be a great surrounding to pitch their new
ideas and solutions. Experts from all over the world can show their latest
insights on construction and other themes.

What I left out:

I left something out, because I’m aware this is the biggest challenge: (but it
wouldn’t be fair to hide it) Internet access in and around L’Aquila is lacking or
difficult. Reaching out to L’Aquila using social networks will be extremely
difficult!

From the inhabitants of L’Aquila we wish to receive as much input as possible

about the rebuilding of the city. Our hope is to form communities within the
city of L’Aquila that are closely connected with the people, companies and
institutes involved in this voluntary project to restore L’Aquila. In order to
become organized in such a community, we will arrange online sessions and
meetings with the city of L’Aquila. This process of cooperation and developing
trust should enfold and grow during the project.
Join us!?

As you have seen this L’Aquila project contains many sub-projects. Please
think about what you can contribute to in order to rebuild this city: virtually or
physically. (In terms of ideas, hands of money)

Visit us at: www.magnitude2010.ning.com

So far a few partners already signed up to join:

Municipality of Eindhoven

Cebra.eu (virtuocity)

Politiek Online

De Roode Kikker

TU/e

For questions:

- Gaby Sadowski, tel. 06-13927926 E-mail: g.sadowski@eindhoven.nl -