Co-creating methods to downscale the Doughnut in the global South
Introducing a co-creative process hosted by DEAL that adapts the City Portrait to reflect global South priorities
We are excited to announce the launch of a co-creative process that will be hosted online by DEAL over the coming months to adapt the ‘City Portrait’ methodology so that it is relevant and useful to global South priorities and interests.
The City Portrait is a transformative tool for cities and places to explore and embrace a vision of thriving that recognises what makes a place unique, while also recognising its global interconnections and responsibilities. The result is a holistic snapshot of the city's performance across four crucial ‘lenses’ that arise from combining two domains (social and ecological) and two scales (local and global).
At DEAL, we are confident that this place-based methodology has the potential to be adapted beyond its first application in global North cities, such as Amsterdam and Brussels. That is why we have begun this co-creative process to adapt and extend this approach.
We are honoured to be joined by an inspiring group of core contributors who have all expressed interest in downscaling the Doughnut to their cities and places in the global South, and who have kindly agreed to share their time and expertise in co-creating methods that reflect diverse needs, histories, and perspectives.
We envision two main phases of this co-creative process to explore the creation of Doughnut Portraits in the global South, as summarised here:
Co-creative process and timeline
The first phase is organised as a series of five online sessions with the core team of contributors, which will take place over the next two months. We have already held the first session, and and since this co-creative process is all about adapting the Doughnut to different places, we invited everyone to think of an alternative to the Doughnut from the culture and context that they’re in (from Costa Rica and Malaysia to Bangladesh and Zambia). Excitement levels are high!
Contributors were invited to share alternatives to the Doughnut from their culture and context
In the second phase, we will host a webinar open to all members of the DEAL Community to present our progress and invite additional contributions (mid-June).
Based on the contributions incorporated throughout these co-creative phases, we're aiming to publish a methodological guide in July.
That's the plan, at least. To be honest, we are unsure exactly what will emerge from the time we spend co-creating methods together, but we are certain that it will be an enriching and collaborative learning experience for all.
